Wishing Tree joins us for lunch, literally!

Here it is! The Pie they named a town after! Pie Town, New Mexico.

My critique; lighten up on the crust!  Not that the crust wasn't delicious, but it would have done better on a chicken pot pie. I've been spoiled though; no one makes a pie crust as well as my friend Michelle.

The filling was pretty darn good. I would have preferred some whole blackberries included, they appeared to have run the berries through a food mill. But the flavor was delish, I’ll give them that; not too sweet, thick and tall! We still have half a pie, next piece I will try warming it and adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream. That may soften the crust and change my grade from B- to an A-.

We met up with the Aunties for lunch. They took us to a local favorite, America’s Pie Company. One of those little back street places with mamma cooking in the kitchen. Delicious home cooked food! I don’t remember the last time I saw prices like these either, breakfast for $1.99!

We sat outside under The Wishing Tree. Thankfully Mark looked up as a piece of that tree fell into Aunt Strannie’s salad, because no one else noticed. She was just getting ready to chomp into a nice chunk of pine! 



Dear Wishing Tree, we wish you’d keep your branches to yourself!

We spent the rest of the day relaxing and getting the lay of the park figured out. Cotye gives a 4-paws up for the dog-run, it is HUGE!

We’re staying at the Venture In RV Resort at Show Low, AZ. It is the first 55+ we have been to. This morning I opened my bedroom window, which is right next to my pillow, to see droves of people, all in red T-shirts, heading towards the building in front of us. I have heard of the red hat society, but not the red T-shirt brigade. This group was much quieter and there were equal parts men and women. The way they were walking was like they were all hypnotized and following a call heard only by the red shirt people. Maybe tomorrow I should dig out my red T-shirt and see what this is all about. Nah – sometimes it is more fun to leave things to the imagination.

Today Aunt Ruth is giving us a tour of the town. Oh dear, I better get going. I still have to shower and paint on a face!

Oh, the Tumbling Tumbleweed . . .

Yesterday we traveled from Taos to Bosque, NM which was approximately 205 miles. Sounds like a short drive day, but the route we took through Los Alamos and then Highway 4 added some time. Why? Here, let me tell you . . .

Highway 68 coming out of Taos seemed very dangerous. Rather than play the nagging-wife-back-seat-driver role to make sure Mark kept his eyes on the road, I tried a different tactic; every time we passed a cross or memorial on the side of the road, I’d point and call out, “Dead person!”  It worked. There were so many memorials it was sad. Even though Mark stayed alert, I think I depressed the both of us.

We found a little place to stay the night in Bosque, NM. Kiva RV Park and Horse Motel. Nothing fancy, but cute, quaint and really inexpensive. 

They had a little serenity garden. It was full of all different types of birds, having choir practice while I listened with glee. Beautiful. Even some bunnies joined in. (Thumping their paws, sheesh, everyone knows bunnies have terrible singing voices.)

I am pretty sure parts of Highway 4 are NOT meant for RV’s. There were extremely sharp turns...

And rocks jutting out so far into the road, I thought they would rip into the side of the RV, my side, of course.

      

At one point, a herd of tumbleweeds raced across the highway. I could almost hear them giggling and squealing as they dodged the cars. 

There were amazing rocks all around us in a wide variety of different shapes, sizes, textures and colors. It was like we were looking at them through a View Master.

I WISH I COULD SHOW YOU THESE IN 3-D
SO YOU COULD SEE THE LAYERS OF DEPTH 

I swear this rock wall smiled at me when I took this picture!

SAY CHEESE!

When we went to go through Los Alamos to get to Hwy 4 , there was an unexpected check point. They made Mark show his ID, had a military person come into the rig to inspect, and then they actually had an escort that drove behind us to the next check point where we were then cleared to continue on.

I was unaware of this, but Mark said that we were escorted past the Los Alamos National Laboratory, which is where, back in the 40’s, they designed the first atomic bombs that were used on Japan. Nowadays they are one of the largest science and technology institutions in the world. They conduct research in things like national security, space exploration, renewable energy, medicine, nanotechnology and super-computing.  (Yes, I looked it up) And that’s just what they WANT us to know . . . Not too far from all those UFO crossing signs! I'm just saying!

Once we got through all the security, we drove up to Valle Grande, which was this amazing flat valley formed millions of years ago when several volcanic eruptions caused this ginormous collapse.

Valle Grande

Then we passed the Rio Grande River, or the "Rio not-so Grande' as I dubbed it...I don't know, I thought it would be a lot bigger, grander!

In all fairness, it was only a rather tiny chunk that I saw. Maybe it is mucho gordo further on down . . . or up. If you look really, REALLY close, you can see a wee little rafter, floating down the wee little Rio...

Lots of beautiful (and some a little trashy) towns a long the way with interesting things to look at. 

WONDERING IF THAT IS THE SPANISH WAY TO SPELL MARTINI?

SOMEONE BE WAMPUM COLD IF NO FINISH TEE-PEE BEFORE NIGHTFALL!

Missed a couple of amazing photo opts as we blew through one little town with a picturesque church that was tiny, had an oversized steeple for its size, and gorgeous, aged, aqua blue wooden doors. 

There was also a home, just down from the church, where an artist had made a mosaic of a tree on one side of their house, from broken bits of mirror and glass; it sparked to life as the suns rays played off it like musical instrument. So darn stunning. I WILL return someday, when I can do a walk-through rather than a fly-by!

Presently we have stopped in a little place called Pie Town. We were told they are known for their pie. So we took the bite (ha ha) and $30 later, we are back on the road with a blackberry pie to share with the Aunties (Ruth and Strannie) when we get to Show Low, AZ. We're close enough and the roads look good. I think I’ll try to get a nap in…Mr. Fuzzy Britches has the right idea!

ZZZzzz

...Or, I could slip in back to the fridge and see if I can get a bite of that pie without leaving any evidence! <shhh!>

Oh my goodness! Have I mentioned how much I LOVE old windmills???

Look at what I found just outside of Pie Town!

I MUST HAVE BEEN A VERY GOOD GIRL TO HAVE STUMBLED UPON THIS PLACE!

*** I have had several followers inquire about my "missed photo opt" so I did a bit of research and found the town was San Ysidro, New Mexico. I also did a Google search and found a picture of the church I described. Isn't it lovely?

I still need to go back and capture the house with the mural, plus I have a feeling there are a lot more hidden treasures to be found in this gem of a town . . . 

Travel Days

Travels days are not always fun days, but they always wear us out. 

Yesterday we said our goodbyes to the folks. This gets harder with each visit, but we know we will see them again soon when a bunch of us meet up at Disneyland in July. 

It did help that I was anxious to put some highway between us and the local bear. 

Oh, did I forget to mention that a giant black bear tipped over the rubbish bin sitting about 5 feet in front of our rig and was enjoying a very, early morning brekkies when Mark, hearing the crash, got up to see him feeding? He took pictures but it was so dark, they didn't turn out well. 

Bear on left, rubbish on right near propane tank

This is the best one, but his eyes look slightly cartoon-ish. 

It was taken at the exact moment the bear looked up and discovered Mark watching him. *surprise!

So, every night thereafter, heading from the house to the rig seemed more frightening than any haunted house I’d ever been in! I’m a critter loving gal, but I have no desire to shake hands with any bear, other than my husband.

We were looking forward to a short, easy drive to Taos, New Mexico.  Barely out of Walsenburg, we rounded a corner and both of us looked at each other a bit wide-eyed …something wicked this way comes!

Add in flashes of lightening threading across the sky.

When we hit the center of the storm, all the cars on the highway pulled over and waited it out. 

It was raining so hard, but coming down white - - - Hail! 

I hadn't seen that in a long time. The whole area was covered white and looked like snow.

It was a little precarious starting back out again, even though the hail had passed, the wind was still against us and the roads were slick. 

Eventually we got to New Mexico. Odd little towns speckled the sides of the highway in between vast stretches of nothingness. However, there were these reoccurring signs that at first, we thought was a cow with a sombrero.

Not sure if you can make it out, but that is actually a UFO above the cow. So, cattle AND UFO crossing? Aren't highway signs State funded?

I looked up the back story on these signs, and the UFO’s are stickers that, although the State keeps removing, they keep reappearing. 

Apparently there have been many UFO sightings in this area, but mostly quite a few cow abductions and mutilations done with lasers that leave no blood on the cow or body parts. Ew, if the aliens wanted beef, couldn't they just order from the local butcher like every other carnivorous person?

Moving on . . . When we got to our destination, the Taos Valley RV Park & Campground (www.taosrv.com), we set up the rig and fell quickly into our respective seats; I on the couch, Mark on the recliner and Cotye on his bagel bed.  We saw out the windows that another storm was lingering in the distance but this storm did not appear ominous at all. The rainbow seemed a good sign.

The rain did not hit until we were tucked in for the night. And we ALL slept very soundly. Even short travel days really take it out of you.

Had a late sleep in this morning, even Cotye. And when Mark was doing Cotye’s morning walk, the lady next to us was singing as she opened the door to her rig;

“Good morning to you! Good morning to you!

We’re all in our places, with bright shining faces…”

This is the song my mother used to sing in the mornings as she came in and opened my drapes; probably in an effort to stave off my morning grumpies.  I was never a morning person. She would have been more successful greeting me with a large cup of coffee.  Being short never bothered me anyway.

I no longer cringe when I hear this song, rather would give anything to hear my mom sing it to me again. That is the first thing I will request of her when we meet again.

Meanwhile, the sky is clearing. My energy is returning . . . time to go out and live.

Cotye saves the day!

There was a mouse in Nana’s house. This made her very mad.

Seeing my Nana so upset, made me feel so sad.

Nana vacuumed, cleaned and scrubbed, still she was upset.

That’s when I knew it was up to me, that mouse I had to get!

I sniffed around and caught its scent, then pointed it out to dad.

Mom would not let us kill it. She said that would be too sad.

Instead she picked the critter up and took it far away.

She promised it would not return, and said I had saved the day.

Now I am a hero. I think I like that role.

My name is Cotye Randall.  King of Mouse Patrol!

Where is that Tumbleweed?

I apologize for the delay in posts. We have been very busy since we arrived here in Colorado!

Tumbleweed (RV) is once again free of the cargo trailer. It is now stowed in Mark’s mom, Dorothy, and her husband, Lyle’s, giant pole barn.  

We hitched it up to Dorothy’s SUV and she is the one who shimmied that thing into the back corner of the barn like she was playing with mere toy Hot Wheels.  

Once that was done, she got into her own truck and backed her rig in, right in front of it. 

Not bad for a great grandma!

Yesterday, Dorothy drove me to the supermarket for groceries. On the way home there was a pick-up truck with a sign that read, “puppies for sale". All I said was, “Ohhhhh, Puuuuupppies!!!,” and she hit the gas so hard, my head jerked back (okay, slight exaggeration).  As she was flooring it she looked over at me and said, “I think Mark would have done the same thing.”  And then she laughed! I seriously think she left a patch of rubber where she pealed out! And yes, Mark would have done same thing. <pout>

The first couple of days we arrived in Walsenburg, Colorado we stayed at Lathrop State Park. Best place we have camped yet. 

They have long, semi-circle sites that butt up to perfect tent pads for guests or your kids to camp in.

The sites are secluded, beautiful mountain views. I know I sound like a paid advertiser but I can’t speak highly enough of this campground. 

Oh, and there is a lake in the middle of all this, as well as a golf course and Amphitheatre . . . 

Maybe you should just click the link if you are interested. https://www.colorado.com/camping/lathrop-state-park 

Once we got into Walsenburg, we helped get the folks set up for the summer season. 

I didn’t realize how much work was involved in the setting up and closing down of seasonal homes. 

But I guess if you only have to do it twice a year, it’s not bad. 

And it is nice to have the option of bugging out when you don’t like the weather at one home - you just head to the other.

It is thundering loudly. Cotye has probably never heard thunder before, as it is a rare thing in Southern California. He was asleep when the first big clap hit. He sat groggily up, looked at me with his tired little eyes, not scared (thank God) just curious. And when a second clap came, he pranced over to me for an explanation. I cuddled him and told him it was only the angels bowling.

He seemed satisfied with that, so he went back to his bed and finished his nap. Do you ever wonder what goes on in your dogs’ mind when you talk to it? 

Cotye always acts like he understands what I am saying, Oh, but what I’d give to get inside that little head of his. He is probably thinking the same thing about me. Monkey chatter - that's what goes on in my pretty little head. 

Ah, I forgot to mention that we moved our rig to the folks’ house yesterday. Clean toilets, free laundry facility, good food and happy hour daily at 5 p.m. …actually, THIS is the perfect camp site!

Bye for now. A nap is calling! Wait, that’s the dryer buzzer . . . ugh.

On the road again . . .

On the road again. We should be at our destination (Mark’s mom’s) in Walsenburg, Colorado in about four hours.

Our biggest adventure here in “the other Las Vegas”, New Mexico, was getting used to the elevation. In this area it is around 6,400 feet. 

As you can see in this picture, our chips were fighting for room in the cubbie as they expanded 3 dress sizes. Let me just say, it would be wise to pack your Haz-Mat suit and don goggles when you go to open condiments, hair products and make-up.

Oh, and it took two hours for the rice steamer to cook the rice, and even then it was still a bit crunchy. I wonder what people do around here for Thanksgiving. If you were cooking a large turkey, you’d have to stuff it and put it in the oven several days beforehand to have it ready in time!

Besides the “pressure” issues, it really is quite lovely here. Lots of beautiful wild flowers popping up everywhere, rejoicing in the spring. I think they know it is their time to shine. They seem to smile when you take their picture.

          

Again, (and I’m not whining, honestly) being without a car, our exploration is restricted to what we can do on foot.  The KOA here was great for this. Unlike the other RV parks we have hit along the way, it was not just a gravel parking lot. There were roads, trails, paths; this was a very pleasant change of venue. And the first time we were able to sleep without planes or trains buzzing by in the night.

When I see things like this windmill, it makes me want to buy a plot of land, have five dogs, some chickens for eggs, a cow for milk (named Betsy, of course) and a huge food garden inside of a giant greenhouse … I don’t like the thought of my food being outside and having bugs and dirty rain on it.

But that dream must remain a dream for now.  There are other dreams to explore first, and I do believe they will take a life time.

Here are a couple things Mark and Cotye found on their extended walk.

Just off the road . . .

Love the bench seating!

Well folks that is all for now. It has been a race between my laptop battery dying and the internet going in and out, as we are driving in the middle of nowhere (again). I better post this while I can. Later!

KOA, Las Vegas, New Mexico

Travel days are exhausting. I can't rest while we're on the road because  . . . 

I have to be the eyes if Mark takes his off the road!

Cotye, on the other hand, has it pretty good. From starting out as a dog who got car sick at the sight of a car, I'd say he has come a loooong way!

Not a lot to see on our drive to Las Vegas, New Mexico. I had no idea there were two Las Vegas'. They don't have a lot in common. 

Going to journal today's drive with pictures. Enjoy! 

GUARDRAILS

 

OVERPASSES AND BRIDGES

SCENIC

LAVA PATCHES

  

KISS FROM AN ANGEL

MISCELLANEOUS 

(Yikes! No Fear!)

(Everything Adobe)

(Tight Squeeze, ran us off the road a bit!)

(In Remembrance)

(Our Chaperon's Jeep - We're here!)

(As we follow the chaperon to our spot in the park, 
Cotye gets ready because he knows even before set-up . . .
. . .comes walkies!)