#63 Feb 2015 Carlsbad Cavern

The next morning when we left Deming NM there was ground fog from all the rain. Eerie!

Our first stop in Texas was a truck wash. The manual one would have taken hours. The hand wash was $60, 4 people, 20 minutes and clean vehicles. Money well spent!

In the future we plan to visit the western states as far as Texas. Therefore, we chose only a few points of interest on this trip. Carlsbad Cavern was a “must see”.

We planned 2 nights in Van Horn TX at Oasis RV. This vehicle is a diesel VW Rabbit 2 door front welded to a 4 door rear (or vice versa 4 door front to 2 door rear). It was the only redeeming feature of the park, however, it is 90 miles from the Cavern and just off Interstate 10 which is most of our route across the Southern States.

It is impossible to describe or photograph Carlsbad Cavern which equals about 14 football fields. An elevator takes visitors down 750 feet. The walk around the Cavern is 1 ¼ miles and the suggested time is 1 ½ hours. We took 3 ½ hours and were euphorically exhausted at the end.

The view in this photo is ¼ mile across. If I had not taken the photo I would not understand it.

Can you see the “Cave Man” in this part of the cave?

Notice the person in the lower left of this photo. It gives some sense of perspective.

Stalagmites (might reach the ceiling) meet stalactites (hang tight to the ceiling) and become columns.

Columns may become immense and very fanciful.

The Cavern is lit by more than 1,000 bulbs and tubes, and 19 miles of wires. All of the lights are designed to reveal the cavern’s natural colours. None of the bulbs are coloured. The park is in the process of replacing the current lights with LED bulbs.

Our next overnight was in Ozoma TX and then on to Kerrville TX. As we checked in another couple arrived and asked if we were from British Columbia as they had noticed our license plate. They live in Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast. As we chatted the receptionist looked at us with a frown. She had no idea where British Columbia is located. We often say it is north of Seattle with similar weather. That didn’t even help.

We visited with Bruce and Cathi that evening and enjoyed sharing our experiences. Meeting new people is one of the pleasures of our travels.

#62 Feb 2015 New Territory

January 27th was Ralph’s birthday and we planned to celebrate with Keith and Karen in Tonopah AZ (about 1 hour west of Phoenix). We arrived to find Karen had the flu so we had supper with Keith and saved the dessert until Karen could enjoy it with us.

We took 2 days to catch up with laundry, shopping, etc.

Last winter we bought a hotspot and phone from Verizon in order to communicate in the US. We were very dissatisfied with their payment options and vowed to look elsewhere this year. In Washington we changed the SIM card in our Telus IPhone to AT&T. We had researched the plan in advance and the change was quick and easy.

This was our opportunity to check out the hotspot options with AT&T. We want a personal hotspot for online banking and often to upload this blog. It took several hours but we are satisfied with the results. Most RV parks advertise Wi-Fi but the quality varies dramatically. We use it when we can.

On the 29th we finally had supper and dessert with Keith and Karen and caught up with our families and travels.

On the 30th we headed for Willcox AZ for one night. That was now new territory and the real start of our next adventure.

We didn’t even see Tucson for the rain but it finally stopped as we entered New Mexico. We have heard about the damage caused by dust storms but that didn’t apply this time.

Crossing the Continental Divide in New Mexico is very different from crossing it in British Columbia. In BC there are signs with geographic information. Here it’s a tourist opportunity.

Our destination in Deming New Mexico was Hidden Valley Ranch RV Resort. It is 12 miles off the highway and the last 6 miles are gravel.

Fortunately the site was pull through as we did not want to touch anything, particularly the car and hitch.

The resort is a working ranch in the middle of the desert. Each site has a cacti and rock border.

In the evening there was entertainment by a couple who are traveling and performing cowboy music. Their mission is to preserve the cowboy music and poetry. Their little dog joins the harmony during the cowboy crooning.

You may have noticed that I am enthralled with the desert. The changing colours and shadows are endlessly fascinating.

As we went to bed I opened the door. There was complete silence and brilliant stars. No traffic, no streetlights, no music or talking. During the night I checked again and heard coyotes yipping and saw even more stars.

Words cannot convey the feeling of standing in the beauty of God’s sunrise on a new day.

When I came inside to warm up with coffee the view changed again with long shadows from the brush.

#61 Jan 2015 Back to the Desert

We arrived in Desert Hot Springs (just north of Palm Springs) in time for a beautiful sunset. Wind turbines highlight the horizon on the bottom right of the photo.

The next day we headed for Riverside to visit Uncle Bob and Auntie Gwen. They are still in their own home and managing well. Uncle Bob was 90 that week so we were able to extend Many Happy Birthdays from family. We had not seen their son Robert for decades. He stopped in unexpectedly and we had a great visit.

We knew Paul and Marg would be in Desert Hot Springs at the same time and we managed to park right beside them in Sands RV and Golf Resort. As always, we visited easily and enjoyed happy hour.

The four of us took a day trip to Joshua Tree National Park. Paul and Marg have been there before and pointed out the highlights.

Joshua trees grow in a very limited area of the Mojave Desert. They are unique and ancient.

The cholla cactus also grows in a very limited range.

The cholla blooms are small but beautiful.

Enjoying and appreciating the desert requires patience and a close look.

Boulders strewn and jumbled by giants dramatically display the power of nature.

It only takes a little imagination to visualize Skull Rock.

In Peace Arch Park, Surrey we became acquainted with Greg and Josie who were also in Desert Hot Springs. They have been there many times and took us on a tour of Old Palm Springs. The homes are individual and unique to the heyday of Palm Springs and the magic of the early Hollywood stars.

The Eagles based the song Hotel California on this hotel. We both enjoy The Eagles music so this stop was special.

Many roads through the desert warn about dips to allow water from sudden storms to follow its natural course.

When it does rain in the desert the water can’t soak into the hard, dry ground.

The desert shows its many colors and shapes as we travel.

#60 Jan 2015 On the Road Again!!

Sunday, January 18th we packed up and headed south again. This will be our big circle tour of the US and Canada. We will go south to California, east to Florida, north to Maine, into the Maritimes and back across Canada. We expect to be back into British Columbia in August.

Our first morning of this adventure started with a beautiful sunrise at a park near Mt St Helens WA. Unfortunately, we had rain, rain, more rain and wind so no view of Mt. St. Helens.

Last spring when we came through Grants Pass OR we had Henderson’s Line Up give us quotes to upgrade some of the mechanics of the motorhome. At that time we had suspension upgrades that greatly improved the handling of the unit. This time they changed the shocks to ones specific to motorhomes. Within minutes of being on the highway I phoned back to say thank you for a much smoother ride. There are more improvements suggested but we will spread out our spending.

The name Siskiyou Pass brings out many stories of winter mountain roads from RVers. We were fortunate again and had a beautiful, sunny day and a stunning view of Mt Shasta.

When we traveled through California last winter we noticed signs about the drought. There was so much to see and absorb that we didn’t pay much attention. This trip we tried to understand the messages.

These signs are repeated over many miles.

There has been a drought in California for the last 7 years. The climate in California draws people. We moved to Surrey for the climate and cannot begrudge more people wanting the same.

Politics or people? We spoke to locals who felt:

Too many people = too much use of limited resources.
Others blame climate change.
Others blame politicians who fund a new high speed train instead of protecting water resources.
Others blame too many dams on life sustaining rivers.

Who is to blame? Everyone? We are all people affecting one another.

There is no doubt about the water shortage. Orchards are bulldozed because farmers can earn more money selling their precious water allotment than growing food.

There are hundreds of miles of canals such as this one moving water from Southern Oregon and Northern California for use throughout the state, particularly drought stricken Southern California.

We have heard rave reviews about Orange Grove RV Resort near Bakersfield CA. It lives up to it’s reputation with the entire park lined with mature orange trees at each site.

The park supplies pickers. We didn’t understand the term until the next morning. The tines at the top of the basket grab the orange and then you twist the orange off the branch and into the basket. The park requests that guests only pick a grocery bag of oranges so the next guests can enjoy them as well.

The entrance to the park is impressive with meticulously shaped trees.

We stopped at an orange processing facility with the requisite gift shop where we received more oranges. Delicious!