White Snow? Sand?

What a gorgeous day, bright blue skies and actually warm for a change. Snow or Sand? White Sands National Monument and what a sight to see. I took the 8mi drive through the dunes and watched the video in the visitor's center. The dunes move at least 30' a year covering up all vegetation except those that "reach for the sky." The yucca will show about two feet at the top of the dune and have 30' roots. At 30' per year I couldn't help but wonder how they kept the roads clear, and at that very moment a snow plow comes chugging around the bend. Wow! This is a surreal place. Fortunately, it was very still and absolutely no wind. I would not want to be here on a windy day. Of course, wind makes the dunes. Now this is my idea of a desert. You can camp there if there are no missile tests being conducted. The tests aren't actually done on the dunes but just north of them. Must be quite the sight.

As I was leaving the Visitor Center a guy comes walking up and asks me if I am from La Veta. Small world. It was George (don't know last name) who had come to my house for the Studio Tour last summer. Hey Mom, he's the one that left the White Sox book for you.

I pulled into Deming around noon and parked at the LoW's RV Park. Swore I would never do it but I joined LoW's and get a week's stay for $73. Not bad for full hook-ups. Oh, LoW stands for Loners On Wheels. It goes without saying that I'm not nearly as old as these nice folks (only when I look in the mirror)!

Another casita was camped there and after walking the Fox I went over to introduce myself. Turns out it belongs to a guy named Warren from Colorado Springs. He is pretty nice, came over later and we had a nice chat.

I am going to move to another spot tomorrow and I plan to stay here 7 days or until I get my dental work done. Cool your jets, Mom! That's right, I am going to Palomas, Mex. to see the dentist. He is the same fellow I met in La Veta who Deb went to see. My app't is for Sat. In the meantime, I plan to check out Rockhound and Pancho Villa state parks.

Today will be spent moving Casita, getting groceries, checking out Deming and going by the hardware store. Seems I lost a washer from the screw-knob that holds one side of the awning in place. Always some teeny weeny, tentsy tiny something or other on the teeny tiny Casita to attend to. Maybe I'll even find a place to have the Fox washed and dried.

On to Alamogordo

Sadly, Nancy, Ginny and I said our goodbyes and we went our separate ways. We had spent the day before having coffee at the Blue House in Carlsbad and browsing the book store. A delightful day. I highly recommend the Blue House, very cozy, great coffee and a nice atmosphere. The day was quite, sunny and Foxy enjoyed several walks and rabbit attempts. Here are a couple of pictures we took before saying goodbye.

The one of the three of us I took by holding the camera out in front of us. Nancy kept saying the camera was pointing the wrong way and I kept adjusting it sideways. She meant that the liens was pointing away from us. The first pic I got was of the table in front of us. Geeze, you would think I would know when the camera is not pointing at me. Oh well, I got on the right track and took another pic. Ginny and Nancy were great to travel with, very laid back and easy going. I really had a wonderful time with them.

The first stop on the way to Alamogordo was Artesia, NM where I had coffee with a lady who wanted to see my Casita. She had emailed me through Casitaclub.com and I agreed to meet her. She is thinking of buying an egg but not sure how she would like it. We had a nice chat and I showed her through the Casita.

The drive to Alamogordo was lovely, a scenic drive through the mts and Cloudcroft at 8500+ elevation. Tons of snow on their little "Ski Cloudcroft" and it reminded me of when the kids were small and we skied at Geneva Basin. A really cute mountain town. Getting down the other side at 7% grade was a little hairy but nothing the Egg couldn't handle. Fortunately, the roads were clear. Coming down from the pass offers a view of White Sands that is nothing short of spectacular. At first, I thought it was snow on the plains and then I realized it was White Sands. When I leave this a.m. I will go back through White Sands.

We are camped at Lee Memorial State Park overlooking the valley. Really beautiful, still in the Chihuahuan Desert and I had no idea it was this big all the way from Mexico through NM and AZ, Amazing. Fox and I explored the camping area just to check things out. The sites are quite large and private with about 16 hookup in all. I chose to stay in one without hookups since they were on the perimeter and faced the valley. The evening was very quiet, not a breeze stirring and you could just feel the clean air. On our rounds we noticed a fellow camped with his car and pop-up tent. We was sitting on top of the picnic table polishing a pair of BIG, BLACK, COMBAT BOOTS! Whoa, I said to myself, this dude looks like a "shooter" back from Iraq with PTSD and out for revenge. Hmmmmmm, I thought, better keep the door locked tonight. I had visions of him wielding an AK 47 at all the campers with anything bigger than a pop-up tent. Those boots were certainly shiny and he had his head bent over the task and was oblivious to the world. He didn't even look up as I passed by with a smile and "hello".

We made it through the night so no snipers, coyotes or mt. lions. The sun is coming up now filling the air with a pink Alpine Glow. Inspiring! This am we move on to Deming and maybe a little rock collecting in the desert. I heard you could take 15# of rock out of Rockhound State Park! I'm all for that, make mine a big diamond, ha!

Kosmic KowGirl

Big Bend National Park

I start this writing just after sundown to the howl of the coyotes. Fox was a bit agitated at the sound and has stationed himself at the foot of the bed so he can see out of the window. Everyday of the last 3 Mr. Coyote has come through the camp checking things out. He doesn't stay long and seems only mildly interested in what might be next to or near the garbage bins. Finding nothing he moseys on blending into the underbrush on the fringe of the campgrounds. Nancy managed a super picture of him this am during his morning "constitution."

I, on the other hand, alerted the camp to a very large, dark brown Bob Cat who, after binocular study turned out to be a mountain lion. He was about 4' long from head to rear. He crept across the camp sites and took a brief pause next to the fence that skirts the area. I was sitting in my chair enjoying a cup of morning coffee when I saw him. I spied Ginny and motioned for her to bring the binoculars. Then a fellow came over with his camera and captured a couple of great shots that he said he would email to me. We'll see if that happens.

The drive from the park entrance to cottonwood campground by the Rio Grande is about 70mi of twists and turns through sharp, craggy peaks of stone and desert strewn with lava telling of volcanic times of long ago. There lies Mexico, so close across the river you feel like you could touch it. This is the Chihuahuan Desert in all its desolate beauty, a show of banana yucca, agaves' majestic flower stalks and various cacti all wrapped in stillness with a soft blanket of cerulean blue overhead. Your breath is surely taken away and your heart fills with a love so deep you know you are one with the earth. No where is there such silence to fill the spirit. This land is so spectacular it quiets the heart and sets the soul afire.

There go those coyotes again. Such a gift to hear those howls and yips. Tonight is certainly a good night for hunting. The first 2 days in the park several javelena came to graze. My, they are ugly with their long, bristly hair. They are not classified in the pig family but sure do look like them. . . it is said they can do quite a bit of damage to a dog. Not a good idea to let the hound roam free here.

I wanted so much to kayak the Rio Grande but the water was high and running very fast. This part of the river gets its water from Mexico. A few days ago they opened some of the reservoirs to release water and it is now running about 10mph, very muddy, carrying a large quantity of silt from the lakes. The raft trips out of Terilungua have stopped service. When I heard that I said this may not be my time to kayak the Rio. Better safe than sorry.

We have absolutely no communication here, no satellite internet or cell service. An interesting feeling being cut off from the rest of the world, a feeling I have always enjoyed. . . no rushing, no one talking or calling you. This is really a place where time is of no consequence. Unfortunately, I'm sure the ageing process continues but not like I care or notice.

This morning Nancy, Ginny and I drove over to Study (Stoody) Butte and Terilingua Ghost Town where the general store's sign featured a Day of The Dead Lady to welcome us. Since I collect Day of Dead folk art I was going to buy a souvenir. Way too expensive! The ghost town consisted of small, tumbled down, adobe houses. Mostly, the whole place existed to entice the tourists. In fact, it really looked like an old hippie commune. There is a theater that seems to be the center for live entertainment for the surrounding towns.

Of course, the real "eye candy" of the day was the Kosmic Kowgirl painted hot pink with a lovely courtyard of pink flamingos and lawn chairs. Next to this was a very small vintage trailer painted with Betty Boop and friends. What a hoot! Kathy the Kowgirl owns the place.


Our drive to Terilingua took us over old Maverick Road and a maverick it was. . . very slow going and better to say we were 4 wheeling! We came upon Luna's jackal in the middle of nowhere. The jackal (hut) looked in part like a Midwestern sod dugout house. A lone man, Luna, lived and farmed the area until he was 108 yrs old. He irrigated his farm from the Rio. It is amazing he could get anything from the desert.

Tomorrow morning we will head north to Ft. Davis and Davis State Park. I will miss Big Bend.

Fort Davis

I am writing this in Carlsbad since I have not been able to get internet since getting to Big Bend. We stayed 2 nights in Ft Davis visiting Marfa,TX and Alpine, TX. Our drive out of Big Bend was a trip in itself. Rain was expected so it seemed like a good day to spend traveling. When we left the camp site it was spitting rain and when we approached the park entrence it was snowing. So far so good, dry roads and not much snow. . . but that would change. The farther north we went the more snow and the roads became icy. You know what I mean, that ice that looks like a wet road but is really black ice. I was so happy to see Alpine! I stopped for gas and to get propane. When I got out of the car the ground was covered with ice and so was my trailer. We had to knock ice off to get to the propane tanks and it was 24 deg. What a switch from Big Bend's 83 deg the day before!

Only 26 more miles to Davis State park in Ft. Davis, TX. This was such an exhausting drive that after parking and setting up camp I fixed oatmeal and went to bed. The next day was chilly but sunny so we took the tour of Marfa and the Pisano Hotel which hosted the actors for Giant, James Dean, Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor. The hotel is filled with memoribilia from the filming and great pictures of the actors. It is a 5 star hotel with very nice upscale shops. One room was devoted to James Dean. My Grandson, Mitchell, looks just like him. Handsome guys!

On to Alpine again where we did a little grocery shopping and Nancy looked for a kitty kennel for her cat who likes to prowl at night. From there we went back to Ft. Davis and visited the shops and bought handmade brooms from the guy who makes authentic 1800 brooms. Mine is short to fit in the Casita and called a "Turkey Wing" Very efficient, too. We also visited the animal shelter thrift store where all proceeds go to the animal shelter. A great store, well organized with nicely presented displays.

After a nice hike witih the dogs we headed up the mountain 16 miles to MC Donald Observatory. It took about an hour and a half to tour the exhibit which focused on stars' birth, death and color spectrum. Amazing stuff. I had visited last year and toured the telescopes and went to a night star party. This is a "not to be missed" experience if traveling in this area. So much to learn! The park here is very nice, too, with full hookups for $20 and $2 entry fee for seniors. The hiking trails were fun and we could let the dogs go free for a time.

The next morning we took our time packing-up to head for the Guadalupe Mountains National Park where we had decided to camp. Truly beautiful country in this West TX area. Sill in the desert with slightly rolling hills dotted with yucca, cacti and desert bushs. The land is so immense and the sky goes on forever to the horizon. By the time we arrived we were so happy to finally get camped that Nancy didn't really mind camping on the asphalt between the white lines. My site was more camp like because the egg is pretty small. In all fairness, the park did have nice hiking trails where we could take the dogs. For $4 a night it was a good overnight spot. No hookups, of course, but toilets were available. Good thing we're self-contained. By evening the weather was nice with sun peeking through. In the morning, the blue sky sparkled and we pulled out for Carlsbad.

The Caverns

We have enjoyed two days of exploring Carlsbad Caverns, beautiful weather and lovely walks with the dogs.  We  left Guadalupe Mountain state park around 8:30am and got to the caverns at 10 in time for a self tour of the Big Room,  Since it was Friday, it seemed no one but we were there.  What an experience!  The vastness of the caverns is startling.  Ceilings 80' high with stalactites hanging several feet long almost touching the stalagmites reaching up.  Formed 4 million years ago by underground water the formations are magical and totally overwhelming.  There are silent pools of water that you must look closely at in order to tell they are really water.  Everything is silent and completely still.  Because there is no movement the pools often look like a darker colored rock formation.  This is truly one of the greatest wonders of the planet and should not be missed by anyone. 

The next day on our guided tour in another part of the cavern we had the opportunity to experience total darkness and silence.  It was so black you could not see your hand no matter how close you held it to your eyes.  This was truly being in the womb of  Mother Earth. 

No bats this time of year.  They migrate to warmer climates and do not return until the end of March.  We did, however,  see the bat guano and occasionally a drop of water would land on my head.  This experience certainly is a highlight of the journey.

Rock On

Nancy and Ginny

What a night! The egg rocked and wobbled all night and is still going strong. Perched on a knoll above Lake Brantley, NM the wind howls and threatens to topple the egg. Not much sleep and up at 4:30 to take the Fox for a spin around the park. Today was set for departure for Roswell and Alamogordo but considering the weather it may be more prudent to sit tight allowing for time to catch up on the Blog.

Yesterday was spent doing laundry and taking in a movie. Ginny, Nancy and I loaded up and headed for Carlsbad. I found Carlsbad to generally be a dirty town and the "Clean Coin Laundry" was no exception. Oh Boy,  it was only slightly cleaner than the 1st one we looked at and it was filthy.  Most of the machines had little notes on them "if it doesn't start open and close the vent door", "out of order",  "only for greasy clothes"???  The nice laundry manager, toothless lady, helped us choose appropriate machines. The place was packed and it was a fight for a machine.  Then, of course, it was a fight for a dryer.  Ginny and I carried our purses at all times if that gives you any idea what the clientele was like.  I dubbed Nancy her Indian name, "One Who Sits Not", because she kept walking around to check machines, then, when the laundry manager got out the vending machine money, Nancy lept on the opportunity to change all her nickles, dimes and pennies to quarters.  Ginny, who has complained of being cold the whole trip is now "Colder Than All Creatures".

After laundry it was back to the camp to pack and clean the egg and walk the Fox.  I must say the walking trails are great and we could let the dogs go for it.  The Fox Man loved it.  The promised cold front began blowing in so after lunch we headed back to Carlsbad to see Shutter Island starring Leo De Caprio.  It was a wonderful story and I definitely recommend it.  Of course, everyone knows I 'head' stories so take this recommendation with a grain of salt.

I did a little grocery shopping and One Who Sits Not made a fantastic grilled pork tenderloin for dinner complete with asparagus and sweet potatoes.  Oh Yum!  We had our usual after dinner philosophy discussion, walked the dogs and called it a night.  The night before we had dined at a "highly recommended" restaurant that turned out to be awful.  So we vowed to cook at home from then on.

Now it is time to check the weather, get out the map and figure out what comes next.