Albuquerque Adventures

Tim and I arrived in Albuquerque on March 16 and pulled into Ruth and Lou’s back yard for a few nights.  What wonderful hosts they were.  Lou prepared his famous spaghetti the first night, we enjoyed just sitting around and learning about the direction our lives had taken since our last visit.  We were especially excited to find out that Ruth was winding down her career and would be retiring in the next month.  Exciting times for everyone.

During our stay, Ruth’s sister Byrd came to Albuquerque for a visit, and it was go good to spend some time with her.  Tim and I had not seen Byrd since our wedding so we had lots of things to talk about. 

Good Time With Friends

One of our top priorities in Albuquerque was purchasing New Mexico piñon coffee.  This was our favorite coffee when we lived in Colorado, and we had been able to acquire it at our local Costco.  We really missed this unique coffee so we made our way to the New Mexico Piñon Coffee Company’s retail store in Albuquerque.  The company now makes K-cups for Keurig coffeemakers, so we stocked up. 

"Great Coffee Is a Matter of a Piñon"

Albuquerque was the perfect city to get our fill of wonderful New Mexican food.  Ruth and Lou took us to some of their favorite restaurants, and each meal seemed to be better than the last.  New Mexican food is different than Mexican food, although there are some similarities.  The use of the New Mexican chile, both green and red, is perhaps the defining ingredient that distinguishes New Mexican cuisine.  Green chile is used as a topping on everything, from burritos to cheeseburgers to pizza.  Over the years, Tim has made me a green chile convert!

Tim and I also took a day to visit Petroglyph National Monument.  This National Park Service unit preserves one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America, but its location is somewhat surprising.  Petroglyph is really an urban park, and development has inched right up to its boundaries.  The park was established in 1990 and is an oasis in the midst of suburban sprawl.

Suburbia Is Just Inches Away from Petroglyph National Monument

Several trails lead to major concentrations of this amazing rock art, and Tim and I hiked the ones in Boca Negra Canyon.  We learned that the petroglyphs were carved onto the rocks not just by the ancestors of modern Pueblo people, but also by Spanish settlers in the 1600s, and later explorers in the 1800s. 

Petroglyph National Monument

Our first hike was not a long one, but the trail was steep and rocky, and surprisingly crowded.  We had forgotten that spring break brings out lots of families with kids.  It was therefore difficult to spend much time studying the petroglyphs and contemplating their meanings.  Still, I’m glad we took the time to seek out the images and marvel at the early cultures that created them.

Images in the Rocks

Tim and I had only planned to stay a few days in Albuquerque, but we extended our visit when the weather forecast for northern New Mexico called for snow.  This gave us time to shop for a new computer for me.  My laptop was old, slow and quirky, and I wanted to upgrade before we headed to Alaska.  

Although we had been researching laptops for some time, I couldn’t quite make up my mind.  We stopped at a Best Buy in Albuquerque and looked at the two top contenders.  Although I liked both laptops, neither had the one feature that I really wanted – extra-long battery life.  The salesman showed me a new HP with a battery life up to 12 hours – WOW!  That was twice as long as the ones I was considering.  However, since I knew nothing about the HP, we left empty-handed to do a bit of research.

I still couldn’t seem to decide, but finally made up my mind to get the HP. I drove to Best Buy the afternoon before we were to leave, but forgot my purse and had to turn around.  Arrggh!  I went back the next morning while Tim headed to our next destination.  I bought the HP Spectre x360 and left it with the Geek Squad to begin the set up.  I knew I wouldn’t have time to wait for them to finish, but I came back in three hours, and a very helpful Geek worked with me to install the programs that I would need right away.

I Love My New Laptop

I’ve been using the laptop since mid-March, and I love it.  The battery life is as advertised, and the computer is a pleasure to use.  I love how fast it is, and the back-lit keyboard is a great feature.  I had to quickly learn Windows 8.1, but it wasn’t too difficult.  I was even able to transfer all of my files from my old laptop to the new one by myself.  Having a reliable computer will give me a little more peace of mind as we head to Alaska.

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.

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