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Red Rock Canyon....

5/30/2016

 
 ( Writing this from Bluewater Lake on May 30. )
On May 18, the day after setting up camp we went to Gallup to do laundry and look around. We stopped at the Red Rock Canyon State Park for a look-see. It was a cloudy day but I have to show some pictures anyway, wow!
We  then went to Grants and visited the Malpais National Monument Information Center and found that there are nine mapped out driving tours in the Grants-Gallup area. ( the map below gives an idea of the tours ).  Over the two weeks of camping at Bluewater we have taken all the tours.  Just awesome!
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We have never seen a campground that had it's own
​US Post Office.
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This is Churchrock at the trailhead.  You can see that many of the camp sites had horse stalls behind them.
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These would be a lot prettier with a blue sky.
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And driving home on I-40, this is what we encountered for about a five mile stretch.  At out camp it was dry.

Bluewater Lake State Park....

5/30/2016

 
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​A Special Wish to my Mom for a Happy Memorial Day!!!
( Writing this from Bluewater Lake State Park off of I-40 between Grants and Gallup, New Mexico on May 30. )
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We drove through Grants on Historical Route 66 on the way to Bluewater.
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View from the outhouse.
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View from the back of the outhouse!!
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This is definitely a park to come back to, beautiful scenery and lots of room  between sites and good internet!!!

Enchanted Circle....

5/20/2016

 
( Writing this on May 19 from Bluewater Lake.
     Vickie, hope you have a terrific Birthday weekend!!! )

On May 12 we took a day trip to Taos, NM and did the Enchanted Circle Drive passing through Quanta, Red River and Eagle Nest, with a side trip through Cimerron Canyon.
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On the way to Taos from Santa Fe you pass the Rio Grande Gorge, lots of kayaks and rafters.
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Ski Country, lots of mountains still snow covered.
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Stopped at a small fishing pond for a picnic lunch.
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Onward and upward!
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Wheeler Peak in Eagle Nest. If you camp at Eagle Nest State Park ( very RV friendly but no hook-ups, water in park and dump station) or one of the other state parks in the canyon you have views that match Alaska. And great internet & phone service.

Hyde Memorial State Park in Santa Fe....

5/18/2016

 
( Writing this from Bluewater Lake State Park on May 18. )
Our next move on May 10 was to Hyde Memorial State Park, north of Santa Fe, New Mexico, where we stayed for seven nights. There are several campgrounds along US-475 that make up the state park. The small campground with electric sites was at 8300 ft elevation while other rustic camps continued up to the ski area at 10,350 ft elevation. And that elevation was at the bottom of the ski lifts. 
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At the base of US 475, before you reach state and federal park land are subdivisions. The higher you go, the bigger and farther apart the houses get.
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​Driving around one of the neighborhoods, we saw this creative mailbox.
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One more great camp to add to our list !

Moved to Clayton Lake State Park, New Mexico....

5/18/2016

 
( Writing this on May 18 from Bluewater Lake State Park. )
On May 8 we moved camp to Clayton, New Mexico just across the border from Texas off US 64.   We only stayed two nights but really, really want to come back to this camp.  Off the beaten path, without any phone or Internet service but really beautiful.

The first picture though was during our drive east.  Now that's what I call a dip in the road!
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These Pronghorn were usually around on the road into camp.
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This was taken from the Electric Loop showing our camp up on the South Loop. We were the only campers in that loop.
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View from the top of the earthen dam.
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​Had to throw this in for all you fisherpersons.
Clayton Lake is know for it's Walleye fishing.
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Clayton Lake State Park has a public viewing site of a Dinosaur Trackway.  It is very beneficial to stop first at the visitor center to watch the ten minute video of the history of the trackway.  Then you take the short quarter mile walk over the dam to see the tracks and enjoy the gorgeous views of the lake and campground.
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View from the entrance to the South Loop. There are only five sites in this loop with dry camping, which is no problem with our solar panels and a fill-up at the water pump for our fresh water tank.
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Looking up from the edge of the bluff.
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Looking down from the edge of the bluff at the nearly empty campground in the middle of the week.
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And Furby McDove comes out for a look at the view at the end of the day.

Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Fritch, Texas....

5/18/2016

 
( Writing this on May 18 from Gallup, New Mexico. Moved yesterday to Bluewater Lake State Park for two weeks. )

On May 4, while staying at Lake Meredith, we did a day trip to Palo Duro Canyon south of Amarillo.  It is advertised as a smaller Grand Canyon and lives up to the name.
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Restroom/ Shower Building at one of the campgrounds.
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One of the rental cabins.
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What a glorious place!

Move to Lake Meredith,  Amarillo, Texas....

5/16/2016

 
( Writing this from Santa Fe on May 16. )
On May 3 we moved camp from Santa Rosa, New Mexico to Lake Meredith north of Amarillo, Texas in the Panhandle. Here are pictures of several of the campground around Lake Meredith.
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​Sanford - Yake campground is where we camped.
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This is the view driving to one of the boat ramps.
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This is the lower parking area, the upper lot was three times as large.
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View from the top of the amphitheater.
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The Arizona Dirt Bag gets to visit the Texas red dirt cousins.
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The camp we stayed in had brand new a shower-restroom building with four rooms each containing a combo shower-restroom. We saw them cleaned everyday and there was never more than six campsites occupied.  Very nice.  There is no electric but drinking water available at the campground.  Did I mention than all campsites at Lake Meredith are free and have a 14 day limit.

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Leaving the park on May 8.
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Shoreline Hike....

5/16/2016

 
( Writing this from Santa Fe on May 16. )
On April 28 we went on the north Shoreline hike at Santa Rosa State Park.  Beautiful one and a quarter mile walk with tons of picture taking. 
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Roswell, New Mexico ....

5/16/2016

 
( Writing this from Santa Fe New Mexico on May 16.)
While camping on April 26 at Santa Rosa State Park, we took a day trip to Roswell, NM and visited the Air Museum and the Roswell Museum and Art Center.  Great day.
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City Hall
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Of course I had to include some Roswell street art.
We spent hours at the art museum, these are some of my favorite pieces.
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Manzano Mountain State Park....

5/14/2016

 
( Writing this from Santa Fe, New Mexico on May 14.
                                       Happy Birthday tomorrow to Robynn!!! )
A day trip on the 24th of April took us up to Manzano Mountain State Park about fifteen miles outside of Albuquerque .  This was a campground that we would consider camp hosting in the summer when going north gets to be to much, very much our cup of tea.
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Love this red dirt.
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I picked up this tote bag more then ten years ago at a garage sale in Michigan for a dollar. Took it on the plane to visit my sister Marie in Phoenix in 2006. Now the Arizona Dirt Bag is visiting it's New Mexico red dirt cousin in 2016!
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David pulled up beside this snake sunning itself in the road and took a picture with the phone for me.
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This is the Dam control tower at Santa Rosa State Park.

Tucumcari, New Mexico....

5/11/2016

 
( Writing this on May 11,  Happy Birthday Christopher!!!  We are presently in Santa Fe-Hyde Memorial State Park and just left a two night stay in Clayton Lake State Park, New Mexico.  Before that we were at Meredith Lake National Recreation Area in Fritch, Texas north of Armarillo. Two weeks with no internet at campsites but having a ball !!! )
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Tucumcari is east of Santa Rosa, and both are on the Historical Route 66.   While camped at Santa Rosa State Park for two weeks we took several day trips to surrounding towns.   We did Tucumcari on April 22.  First are some pictures of some of the old signs on 66.
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After cruising Main St. we toured the Mesaland Dinosaur Museum.  Many of their fossils are excavated from their field nearby.  Very good collection.
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From the museum we went to Ute Lake State Park to eat our lunch and lucked upon the Chuck Wagon Cook-Off Event.  the cook-off was the next day but the day we were there was the wagon judging.  There were eight wagons at this event and all the owners were eager to share details of their  hobby.
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Great day, hope to catch a Chuck Wagon Cook- Off again they are held all over the US.

Moved to Santa Rosa State Park, NM....

5/6/2016

 
( Writing this on May 6 from Amarillo, Texas. )


We stayed six nights at Brantley State Park
​which was very peaceful.
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Every night we had a different show over the lake from our trailer door.
On April 19, the campground site we found at Santa Rosa was just as nice.
​We really loved the library in Santa Rosa, the Historic Route 66 Highway had lots to look at and we found great Mexican restaurants in town.  
​The one drawback was the poor internet signal at camp which turned out to be a blessing since we got the chance to know the staff at the library in our two weeks stay. 
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Santa Rosa De Lima Catholic Church, 1907
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Next to the Blue Hole is the Diving Club and Visiter Center that is very much worth the time to explore. The Blue Hole has been open to the public since the 1930's.
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Driving down one of the scenic roads out of Santa Rosa, you see the old and the new.
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What a beautiful country we live in!

Guadalupe Mountains....

5/6/2016

 
( Writing this from Lake Meredith, Amarillo, Texas on May 6. )
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We started the day of April 16 with a Ranger guided walk on the nature loop of the McKittrick Canyon in the Guadalupe Mountain National Park in Texas, thirty miles sountwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico. The Ranger identified the flowers, shrubs and trees in the canyon. It was only us and one other couple on the walk. It is so nice to be able to go in the off-peek times.
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After the walk we drove a short distance to another part of the canyon for the Frijole Ranch tour.  The homestead was started in 1870 by the Rader brother, then expanded in 1906 by the Smith family who raised their family there until 1942. The third time it was purchased by a judge who later donated the land to the national parks.
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This is the original, finished home that the Smith family lived in.
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We had never seen a Persimmons tree before and thought the bark was very interesting.
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After eating our picnic lunch we drove sixty miles to Sitting Bull Falls in the Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico.
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You can see the trail to the top of the falls. First we walked to the pool at the bottom which was around the side of the hill from the picnic area. Swimming was allowed in the pool under the falls. There is no camping available here, the shelters are for the tables.
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The climb up was so worth it !!
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Right at my feet is one source of water flowing over the edge with another small stream a short distance in front of me.
   To close out the day, we drove to Dog Canyon to look at the small campground there, not something for bigger RV's but a beautiful drive.
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As we were driving back out the setting sun lit up the mountain in what everyone cals the golden hour, but is really about ten minutes.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park,  April 15, 2016....

5/6/2016

 
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I know pictures taken in such a vast setting are not as impressive as seeing it in person, but I still wish to share some pictures of the cave formations
in Carlsbad Caverns.
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Going in.
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Five miles of walking later, climbing back out.
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Shaped like an angel.
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1924
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One of the ladders is still here.
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These are thirty feet above us.
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This was shooting straight up at the ceiling.
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A stream running through the cavern.
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Scale model showing the visitor center at the top, the 1.25 mile ramp going down, ( the elevator shaft that was NOT working), and the caverns. The deep section was available only with guided tours and we didn't get to that one this time.
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​This is us near the end of the hike, slightly sweaty.
Hope you enjoyed!

Move to Carlsbad, New Mexico on April 13-14....

5/2/2016

 
( Writing this from Santa Rosa, NM on May 2.  Love the high speed internet at the library. )
April 13, we left the Temperate Zone RV Park in Deming for Brantley State Park in Carlsbad, NM, taking US-375 to US-180.  
A lake view site with electric and water hook-ups was $14/night.  Our Annual pass covered $10/night  of the cost.  We stayed for six nights and stayed super busy the whole time.
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US-180 passes through the Guadalupe Mountains in Texas before going north to reach Carlsbad City. We passed the entrances for the Guadalupe Mtn. National Park and Carlsbad Caverns National Park which we come back to on other days for hiking and exploring.
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At the shower building a Says Phoebe was nursing her young.
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Flowers around camp!

​On the 14th we spent the day at the New Mexico Living Desert and Zoo.  All the animals were rescue animals that live in the Chihuahuan Desert.
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Great garden art.
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Morning Dove
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I'm not sure if this is rare in New Mexico. Being from Michigan it seemed a little strange. A large enclosed space with a brass plaque for a Bluejay ?
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Ocotillo coming into bloom.
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The cactus is a baby but the flower is as big as a full grown plant.
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Molly the artist Bear, look it up! They sell her art in the visitor center. She is eight years old and they have had her since a cub.
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View from our Fox door at Brantley SP.

Memories of April 1-12,  2016....

5/2/2016

 
( Writing this from Santa Rosa, New Mexico on May 2. )
For the first half of April we got the rest of our possessions out of the Vineyard Storage in Deming. We went to a car show, saw the movie Zootopia (loved it), had Easter dinner with Vickie and James and the other campers at our park and enjoyed two Saturday night get-togethers at the club house. 
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Vickie has no problem with us washing the truck at camp as long as you do it near the tree!
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Looks like a fish fly to me.
​ Don't know why it's on the window of my trailer in the desert.
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Car show on the lawn of the Deming City Hall.
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Several trees shaped like this, I thought they were interesting.
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Loved this paint job.
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Fun times in the club house.  One Saturday, homemade salsa and guacamole for the taco dinner.  The next week Doug brought homemade tamales for everyone. Doesn't get any better than that.
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This bush at Wendy's in Silver City matched our truck.
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Another beauty at camp!!

Memories of March 2016....

5/2/2016

 
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( Writing this on May 2,  2016
​from 
Santa Rosa, New Mexico.)

I'm trying to get caught up to present day so the next couple blogs will be long.  Hope they aren't to hard to load. Let me know in comments at the end of the blog if you are having trouble.
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No where to hang pictures and the refrigerator has a wood front panel, so I used a stapler and straight pins to turn the small windows at the sides of the couch into picture frames.
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We love our new slow cooker. Even when we are not plugged into shore power, the cooker only uses 300 watts so we can use it on our solar powered outlets
Leib drove out to Deming from Michigan to help us install the solar on the Arctic Fox.  He arrived on the morning of the 11th and after his tent was up we went to the Deming Rock and Mineral Show. The next day we drove up through the Gila National Forest to the Gila Cliff Dwellings, over 8000 ft elev.
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The road we drove up.
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First the mounting station had to be re-worked for the new trailer.  On the left is the finished panels . The one at the front is stationary. The bigger one can be tilted 0-90 degrees. Each panel has it's own set of marine deep-cycle batteries and has different functions inside the trailer.
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The solar controller and disconnect are installed in the front pass through storage area. The LED display telling the battery temperature, phase, output and state of charge is easy to read in this location
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In the underbed storage are the two 104ah Agm solar batteries covered by the large box and the 300 watt inverter to it's left. Also covered up are the fuses, breakers and wiring.The rest of the space can still be used for storage. Yea!!
Thank you Leib, don't know what we'd do without you.
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I like to close with a sunset, view from our trailer door.

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