Back to Un-Civilization

Tim and I finally left the Phoenix area on March 5, but it seemed to take forever to put the “big city” in the rearview mirror.  I was so happy to finally get through the hour of non-stop traffic and head for the hills.  Once we left the eastern suburbs, it was a beautiful drive over the mountains.  Wildflowers were blooming alongside the roads, and I couldn’t get enough of the hillsides carpeted with yellow poppies.

The stretch of Route 60 between Phoenix and Globe is known as the Gila-Pinal Scenic Road, and the Superstition Mountains were the most prominent landmark on the first part of the drive.  Silver and copper mines dotted the mountains on the way to Miami (not Florida) and Globe, and we enjoyed the road as it twisted and wound its way up and down the mountain.

Leaving the Big City Behind

On the Way to Globe, AZ

Poppies Galore

Our destination for the evening was Roper Lake State Park near Safford, Arizona.  As soon as we pulled into the campground, I felt I could breathe once again, and I let out a big sigh of relief.  Roper Lake is a lovely park, and we had one of the best sites in the campground.  Our site had an unbelievable amount of space, especially behind us.  It was so nice to be back in a “natural” park.  Even Kitty seemed happier.  Tim and I walked down to the lake and spent some time exploring the park.

A Fabulous Site at Roper Lake State Park

Roper Lake State Park

We stayed at Roper Lake State Park only one night and left the next morning for Silver City, New Mexico.  Because we drive a small RV, we are able to travel roads that are not suited to larger RVs.  And that’s exactly the type of road we took toward Silver City.  Route 78 is a narrow, winding road up and over the mountains, with hairpin curves that opened up to incredible views.  I love to drive this type of road.

A Great Drive with Great Views

Following Tim into New Mexico

We arrived in New Mexico to much cooler temperatures and checked back in to the Rose Valley RV Ranch on March 6.  We lucked out with another great campsite, with lots of room and privacy.  We were really looking forward to the week we had reserved there.

Kitty Worked Hard While We Were at Rose Valley RV Ranch

Where did the week go?   It seemed that we did very little resting, and very little touring.  Since we had played tourist on our last visit to Silver City, we welcomed the time to just be homebodies.  It wasn’t an exciting week, but we caught up on some chores and errands and spend quite a bit of time planning our Alaska trip.  Rose Valley was a perfect place to do what we needed to do, including haircuts and laundry.  We did take time to explore more of downtown Silver City where we found a popular coffee shop that serves sinful deserts.  Silver City is often listed as one of the best small towns in America, and the town has done a very good job of preserving and reusing its historic buildings. 

Downtown Silver City, New Mexico

While we were at Rose Valley, Tim spoke with his good friends Ruth and Lou who live in Albuquerque and discovered that they would be in Deming, New Mexico, on the day we were scheduled to leave Silver City.  What a coincidence that we were just fifty miles away.  Although we had planned to see them in Albuquerque, we quickly decided that it would be fun to also spend time with them in Deming.

Why Deming?  Ruth and Lou were there to attend the 50^th Annual Rockhound Roundup, a gem and mineral show.  Neither Tim nor I had ever been to a rock show and had no idea that there were so many avid rock collectors.  The show was huge, and Tim and I actually had a lot of fun.  Some of the rocks were gorgeous.  With visions of Lucille Ball and “The Long, Long Trailer” in the back of our minds, we resisted making any purchases.  Rocks and RVs just don’t mix!

With plans to meet Ruth and Lou in Albuquerque in a few days, Tim and I left Deming with a “must-see” on our itinerary – Hatch, New Mexico.  Hatch is the self-proclaimed chile capital of the world and is known for green chile.  Although March is far from chile season, we were able to purchase frozen green chile, as well as various salsas.  The highlight, however, was Sparky’s, a local institution that has quite the following.

Sparky’s is not just a restaurant, but a roadside attraction, and is known for its world famous chile cheeseburger.  Tim and I braved the line that snaked its way out past the front door and ordered green chile cheeseburgers, of course, with barbeque and a strawberry milkshake to enjoy later.  We loved the atmosphere, as well as the food, and found Sparky’s a perfect local place to eat.  For us, sampling restaurants like Sparky’s is an essential part of traveling.

Sparky's, Hatch, New Mexico

Our overnight stop on the way to Albuquerque was Elephant Butte State Park.  We followed the advice of several bloggers and found a lovely campsite with a water view and lots of space in the north end of the park.  We paid for one night and settled in.  It was very windy the day we arrived, but the next day was wonderful, with very little wind.  Tim and I decided to stay for another night, so we walked down to the pay station and paid for one more night.  That’s when the drama began.

A Heavenly Site at Elephant Butte State Park, While It Lasted

The volunteer camp host came by and told us we couldn’t stay in our site for another night.  Say What?  Apparently, you can only stay in a reservation site for one night, which is not how we interpreted the signs.  By then it was 2:30 pm, and we didn’t want to move.  The campground was virtually empty, and all of the waterfront sites, except two, were vacant.  The host, however, said we had to move to one farther away.  I was incredulous.  I understand rules (if fact, I spent my career enforcing rules), but this one made no sense.  The host was very insistent, and I got very angry and decided I didn’t want to stay since we had to pack up anyway.  Poor Tim.  He had to remain the calm one and deal with the host.

About ten minutes later while I was inside packing the RV, the host came back and looked at our permit once again and began to write notes in his book.  Tim went out, and the host told him that we owed ten dollars for the car.  Toads (or towed vehicles) are not charged a separate fee, and we honestly believed that our car would be considered a toad.  I guess not.  Now Tim was upset and said he was not going to pay since we had already paid fourteen dollars that we would be forfeiting since we were leaving.  The host reluctantly said that would cover the ten dollar charge. 

The final straw was when the host asked Tim, “You aren’t planning to stay at any other state parks, are you?”  Tim, not surprisingly, interpreted this to mean that we would be blackballed from staying at all New Mexico parks.  What an awful experience!  I cannot tell you the last time I was that angry.  Perhaps we were wrong in not interpreting the rules correctly, but I still cannot believe how the host handled the situation.  

We left the state park as soon as we could and moved to a private campground farther north.  The campground was a bit funky, but the owner was great, and we were happy to give him our money and be some place where we felt comfortable.  It took me a long time, however, to just let go of the anger.

The next day we left for Albuquerque and stopped for lunch at Buckhorn Tavern in San Antonio, New Mexico.  Here we once again ordered green chile cheeseburgers.  These were even better than the ones at Sparky’s.  The owner-chef sat and talked with us, and we learned that he had bested Food Network’s Bobby Flay in a 2009 throwdown.  Buckhorn Tavern is another restaurant that perfectly captures the local flavor and cuisine.

Two Weeks in Arizona

Tim and I weren’t planning to spend more than two weeks in Arizona when we arrived there on February 20.  Still, we had several things on our “to-do” list, including touring several units of the National Park Service, spending time with friends and attending the Camping World/Good Sam Rally.  Visits would have to be short if we were to fit everything in.

Our first stop was Chiricahua National Monument.  Located in the far southeast corner of Arizona, Chiricahua is one park that neither Tim nor I had ever visited.  We both agreed that it was worth the wait.  Known as the “Land of Standing Up Rocks,” Chiricahua is known for the rock pinnacles that loom over the countryside.  We learned that Chiricahua is a sky island, an isolated mountain range that rises above the surrounding grassland sea, and the scenic drive in the park took us to the summit.

The pinnacles take on all sorts of shapes and forms, and many of the formations have imaginative names.  To really appreciate the rock formations, you really have to hike among them.  And that is what Tim and I did.  We took several shorter hikes, and I couldn’t seem to stop taking photos at every turn.  As we made our way among the countless pinnacle formations, I was surprised to find that so many of the rocks were cloaked with brilliant green lichen.  The color was stunning.  We enjoyed the hikes immensely, but reluctantly had to turn back because of the relentless wind.  I thought we were going to be blown away!

Chiricahua National Monument

From Chiricahua, we drove even farther south to the historic, former mining town of Bisbee.  Our home for the night was an in-town campground that overlooked the open pit mine.  Now that was a different view!  Bisbee is a very cute town with a great art scene and excellent restaurants.  We stumbled upon a Vietnamese restaurant with just a handful of seats and enjoyed a fabulous dinner.  We spent the next morning wandering through the town and checking out a few of the shops.  Bisbee is definitely a town worth spending some time in.

Bisbee, AZ

The main reason for venturing into southern Arizona was to visit our friends Judy and Peter, who spend winters in Sierra Vista.  We hadn’t seen them since Judy retired from Rocky Mountain National Park several years ago, and it was so nice to catch up and get to know them a bit better.  They treated us to a delicious home-cooked dinner our first night in town – the salmon and cornbread were amazing, and the wine was perfect.  Driveway camping was an added bonus.  Judy and Peter were in the process of re-landscaping their yard, and it was especially nice to learn about their plans and share their excitement about the project.

We took a day trip to Coronado National Memorial, an odd little park.  Coronado National Memorial commemorates Francisco Vásquez de Coronado’s expedition in the 1500s into what is now the America Southwest, but it is likely that he never set foot in what is now the park.  Still, the park is beautiful, and the views from the top of Montezuma Pass were breathtaking.  The park is very close to the U.S.-Mexican border, and Border Patrol vehicles were quite evident.  From the top of the pass, we were also able to see the infamous wall that separates the United States from Mexico.  That was a first for me.

Coronado National Memorial

While we were at the park, we ran into Pam and John, whose blog I follow.  I accosted them in the parking lot at the visitor center, and after they got over the initial shock, they seemed happy to meet us.  I’ve read about how bloggers often run into one another, but this was the first time I had ever stumbled upon someone on the road.

Judy took us to a favorite spot along the San Pedro River where we saw a stand of cottonwood trees that were already leafing out.  It was so nice to see green leaves after the long, dreary winter.  We ended the day with a lovely dinner at Judy and Peter’s favorite Italian restaurant.

A Wonderful Visit with Judy and Peter

I had one errand to accomplish while we were in Sierra Vista, and that was getting fingerprinted.  Tim and I will be in Alaska this summer and will be working at Sitka National Historical Park.  For some reason, that park required me to undergo a background check, and Sierra Vista had the necessary facility.  I haven’t heard back from the park, so I think I passed.

It was sad to leave Judy and Peter, but it was time to head towards Phoenix.  We stopped for the night in Casa Grande and took the time to visit Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.  Casa Grande was impressive and is the largest known structure of the Ancestral People of the Sonoran Desert.  Today, a steel-and-concrete canopy, built in 1932, continues to protect the Great House. 

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

The campground where we stayed in Casa Grande was an older RV park.  This was my first real taste of an Arizona snowbird park, and I quickly decided that this is not the type of park where I’d want to spend the winter.  The sites were so close together that our neighbors could probably have heard us sneeze.  We next traveled to the western part of Phoenix and stayed at another snowbird park.  Although this one was a bit more modern, I also knew right away that this was not where I want to end up.

Our reason for coming to Phoenix was to attend The Rally, put on by Camping World and Good Sam.  I had attended a previous rally before we embarked on our nine-month trip, but Tim had never been, so we registered for the entire event.  For four nights, we would be camped with several thousand other rigs on the edge of the Phoenix International Raceway.  Arrival and check-in at the raceway was surprisingly smooth, and we got settled into our space rather quickly.

The Rally consisted of exhibits, seminars and assorted activities, but we were there mostly to attend the seminars and check out the vendors.  On our first day, it was hot and the sun was intense.  There was little shade, and the seminars and exhibits were in tents, which provided little relief.  We did a little shopping, waited in line forever for lunch, sat in on a few seminars, got overheated, and dragged ourselves back to our RV.  I have to admit that I was just about ready to leave.  I was not having a good time.

Luckily, the next few days were much better and more fun.  It was not as hot nor as crowded, or maybe we just knew the ropes.  One of the highlights was meeting Dean from Leisure Travel Vans, the manufacturer of our RV.  We looked at the Unity as well as a few other RVs, but mostly we went to seminars and did our fair share of shopping.  We may not do much regular shopping, but we do shop at RV rallies and shows.  New LED lights, microfiber products and microwave cookware and accessories were just a few of the things we couldn’t live without.  Of course we also found other things that we didn’t even know we needed.

The Rally

As the Rally neared its end, the weather began to deteriorate, and a flood watch was in the forecast.  Since we were finished by early Sunday afternoon, we decided to leave a day early so we wouldn’t have to deal with the rain, and mud, on Monday.  We moved to another nearby snowbird park.  Although the condition of the park wasn’t as good as the last one where we stayed, at least it had more character – trees!  Many citrus trees loaded with fruit even provided a bit of shade.

Staying at these three different snowbird parks really opened my eyes to the way of life for so many RVers.  That’s not how I want to spend even part of a winter – these parks are just too claustrophobic for me.  We had tried to get into the nearby county and state parks, but there was no availability.  Unfortunately, booking far in advance is necessary.  I know that I would have liked those parks, so it was frustrating that we missed that opportunity.

Tim and I did take advantage of our time in the Phoenix area, and Tim was able to attend a Cactus League baseball game.  The Cleveland Indians were playing the Cincinnati Reds on the second day of Spring Training at Goodyear Ballpark.  Cleveland beat Cincinnati 4-2.

Spring Training

While we were in Phoenix, we also faced an important decision – where to go next.  We really didn’t have a good answer.  To the north, snow had been falling, and some of the public parks we looked at had not yet opened for the season.  The private parks just didn’t seem too interesting. We spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to find some place that we would enjoy for a week.  What we really wanted to do was chill after all of the running we’d done since arriving at Fort Davis.  I finally said that I’d just as soon go back to New Mexico and to the park in Silver City that we really liked.  And, that’s just what we decided to do.

Good-bye Texas, Hello New Mexico and Arizona

After more than two months in Texas, we finally left the Lone Star State on February 17, 2015.  We had planned to visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park after our stop in Van Horn, but the weather was not cooperating, so we decided to save the park for another time.  The interstate was the only reasonable way to travel, so we braved the traffic, including the craziness that is El Paso.  Luckily, I had read about a more agreeable loop around the city, which turned out to be a very smart detour. 

Texas Was Great, But It Was Nice to Cross into New Mexico

Our destination for the night was Las Cruces.  Tim was happy to be back in New Mexico and to have easy access to green chilies, one of his favorite foods.  Getting his chili fix was a top priority.

We had a mission while in Las Cruces.  For longer than I care to admit, our electric sofa had been making a grinding noise while being lowered to its position as a bed.  For those who are not familiar with our RV, we have a sofa at the rear of the RV that converts to a king-size bed.  When the sofa/bed would not revert to the sofa position, we knew that we finally had to deal with it.

Luckily, we found a mobile RV technician in Las Cruces who was able to fit us into his schedule.  We were envisioning having to replace the motor and/or gear box and were preparing ourselves for a costly and time-consuming repair.  Larry from Larry’s RV and Marine Service arrived right on time the next morning and determined that it was an easy fix.  Who would have guessed that a bit of grease would solve the problem.  Wow!  That was a huge relief.  Larry was so professional and so good at figuring things out.  We would highly recommend him.

We took advantage of our stop in a large city to visit Walgreen’s and Walmart.  It had been more than a month since we had been to one of the “big” stores, and there were a few things that we needed.  Errands complete, we were ready for an adventure. 

We left Las Cruces and drove into the mountains toward Silver City, New Mexico.  It was nice to get off the interstate and onto a more peaceful state highway.  We had picked Silver City because it was supposed to be an interesting small town and a good base to visit Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.  It turned out to be a great choice.

We checked into Rose Valley RV Ranch, a great campground with a Western theme.  The campground’s location in Silver City was perfect, and we were amazed that a private campground had so much character, as well as so much space and privacy between sites.  Although we would have enjoyed hanging around the campground, we had other plans.

We drove to Gila Cliff Dwellings the next day on the Trail of the Mountain Spirits National Scenic Byway.  This winding, mountain road passes through the Gila National Forest and offers wonderful views of the surrounding wilderness.  The Gila National Forest actually includes the first designated wilderness area set aside by Congress in 1924.

Winding Our Way through the Gila National Forest

Panoramic Views from the Trail of the Mountain Spirits Scenic Byway

Crossing the Gila River

The road ends at Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, a park that provides a glimpse into the homes and lives of the ancient Puebloan people who lived in the Mogollon area more than 700 years ago.  These people built a village within five of the natural caves of Cliff Dweller Canyon, and these cliff dwellings can be visited today.

As we hiked up the path to the cliff houses, we caught our first sight of the natural caves, which are located high above the canyon bottom.  Tim and I were fortunate to join a tour led by a wonderful volunteer, who helped us think like an archeologist (Tim didn’t let on that he is an archeologist!).  Why did the ancestral people come to this area, and why did they construct their dwellings in the caves?  Why did they leave after only a few decades?  There are many theories, and it was thought-provoking to ponder the possibilities.  Walking among the ruins and contemplating the culture that flourished there was so inspirational.

Our First Sighting of the Caves in Cliff  Dweller Canyon

What a Location for a Home

 

Cliff Dwellings Were Built into the Caves

How Amazing It Was to Walk in the Footsteps of the Ancestral People 

We also spent some time at the visitor center where we met the park’s superintendent.  We were amazed to find out that Gila has only two paid staff.  That’s nuts!  How can a park function that way?  One answer is with volunteers.  It seems as if volunteers virtually run the place, and they seem to be a very dedicated bunch of folks.  We were impressed.

The next day we left Silver City and headed back to the interstate on our way to Arizona.  What a dramatic view as we drove down from the higher elevation of Silver City and encountered the wide expanse of desert before us.  You may be wondering why we were moving at such a rapid pace, when our stated preference has been to spend up to a week at each destination.  The answer is an easy one.  We had registered in January to attend an event in Phoenix and had only a short time frame to get there. We had not figured on working at Fort Davis for two weeks when we originally planned our timetable and route.

Good-bye New Mexico, Hello Arizona

Tim and I stopped for the evening in Willcox, Arizona.  Although our campground was bare-bones, its saving grace was pie.  Yes, pie.  The owner bakes pies, and we placed our order for rhubarb, one of my favorites.  We also found Girl Scouts in town selling cookies, only the second cookie opportunity we had found this season.  We were certainly fixed for sweets.

There's Always Room for Pie