Our last post from City of Rocks State Park........

Our Location: City of Rocks State Park, Faywood, NM

The morning dawned with a beautiful sunrise but I didn’t get any pictures I was still reading blogs when it started peeking it’s beautiful rays over the tops of the mountains in the east. The night was coolish but not cold, I even had my vent partly open, so you know it wasn’t cold. 

Our patio before packing up

 

Since we had no plans today we didn’t really have any rush to get up and move around. We spent a lazy morning just chatting, reading and figuring out our plans for the day. We both knew we wouldn’t be going anywhere  so it was a matter of what we wanted to accomplish here at the Igloo. 

 

Our patio after packing up

 

After a morning cup of Swiss Mocha Sugar Free hot chocolate I started getting a bit antsy and headed for my room intending to clean the bedside cabinets. They didn’t take long and I moved on to the closet, and the bathroom. Before long the vacuum came out and the entire Igloo was glistening with a spiffy new shine inside. Riley caught the cleaning bug and her room and half bath were also under the clean cloths. I finished the last the two vents and the inside of the windows as well. Nothing like having a nice clean house!

 

Love the pink hue in the east behind us in our site E

7

 

I started a book by John Saul called Manhattan Hunt Club this morning. I finished it shortly before the sun set tonight. It was pretty good. I've liked all of the books I’ve read so far by him, haven’t found a single stinker in the bunch.

 

The back of the Igloo

 

I think I may have had a few winks of shut eye on the couch this morning but I can’t remember. It’s a tough life folks!!

 

Back window of the Dogsled

 

Shortly after 1 pm we started prepping lunch. Today we had a nice green salad, with BBQ'ed ham steak, beans and mushrooms. I added a scoop of stuffing left from yesterday. I will say I enjoyed it very much. Riley must have as well since there wasn’t anything left on her plate either. Love that Weber, it does such a good job and with the wind we had today the wind break worked well too. 

 

A bit more than quarter I think. Not a cloud in the sky.

 

After lunch we cleaned up the kitchen once again and headed outside to put away the items we’ve pulled out the last few days. Lawn chairs, solar lights, BBQ, wind break, etc. We even dismantled the Mr Buddy heater and put the heater, hose and tank away as well. We’ve used it twice since we arrived here. 

Starting to set

 

Tomorrow we will have a few things such as the water hose, the electrical cord, and the blocks to put away and after hooking up we will once again be on the road. Our first stop will be Deming and the fuel station that allows free use of the dump station. After that we’ll find our way to I-10 West and head on out. We are both looking forward to pulling up our feet and moving on. It’s nice here but I don’t think we’ll be back to this park. It’s too far away from everything and no cell service. We like the park of course and think some of the boon docking spots would be very nice to have for a couple of days but we’ve both figured out we’d prefer to be somewhere else. 

 

 

A lazy afternoon was spent just relaxing, reading and hanging out. I walked down to the ranger station to get a better pic of the sunset but with only a clear blue sky today the sunset was a quick affair. 

 

So there you have it, our restful day. Hope you had an enjoyable day as well. Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to leave a comment. 

 

Until next time….be safe, take care…

Deb

Happy Thanksgiving, state parks, and a nice hike.......

Our Location: City of Rocks State Park, Faywood, NM

Riley and I hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day here in the USA. Plenty of food, plenty of laughter, good friends, loving family and a very good day!!!

Peter Cottontail not worried about Miss Kitty or me.

A coolish night but still nice for sleeping. We didn’t need our heater on this morning as the Igloo warmed up nicely with the sun shining in the windows. Since we really didn’t have any plans for today we kind of just puttered around for a bit. We did decide about 8:30 am or so that we would head out to see the other state parks in the area for the next time we stop in this neighbourhood. 

Leave me alone, I'm having breakfast.

Of course this meant we had to go to Deming. First we headed out to Rockhound State Park, and our way through noticed Walmart was open but not extremely busy. We didn’t stop but made note of that. A number of stores and fuel stations were open which surprised me, I thought it was a holiday.

Heading toward Rockhound and Stone Canyon State Parks

We journeyed out to Rockhound State Park, finding it easily and taking a short tour. A nice park to be certain. Although all walking would be up and down since it’s on a hill side. However still a nice place. We noted a few spots we’d fit into easily and the boon docking area looks pretty good as well. So we will keep that in mind for another time. 

Rockhound campground up on the left

From there we headed cross country to  Poncho Villa State Park. At first Bella our US GPS wouldn’t find the park but found Columbus. I figured we’d manage from there. A scenic drive out to the park, about 30 miles just a few miles from the Mexican border. We notice a few interesting sights on the way out but didn’t manage to get pictures of them. Oh well, perhaps another time. 

Southwest flavour here at Rockhound State Park

We arrived in Poncho Villa State Park and chatted with a nice ranger there. He gave us the information regarding the park, hook ups, prices, etc. A very nice park, if it were not quite so far out I think we would consider it. The sites are huge and the ground is very level. Some nice gardens there as well. It’s a big park, with lots of sites to choose from. Even some 50 amp spots. 

Leaving Rockhound State Park

Heading back to Deming we had to stop at the inspection station. The guard was officious and almost polite. He assumed we were US citizen while he was looking inside the Dogsled, when I answered, No Canadians, he immediately wanted to see our passports. I found this very odd. We hadn’t left the US, we weren’t even at the border crossing. He scolded me for not carrying my passport all the time while in the US. I offered up my drivers license and Riley’s health card, as both are picture ID. He eventually let us through. I don’t carry my passport with me when in the truck out for a day’s touring. If we had planned on crossing into Mexico then yes, we would have had it. His comment was that if we were within 25 miles of the border we should carry it. I didn’t argue but believe me I’ve travelled well within the 25 mile radius at many Ontario crossing and never once have I ever had to stop at an inspection station that far from the border. If we had crossed into Mexico we still would have had to pass through US customs to get back in the country which means I’ve already been vetted and accepted. So I wasn’t really sure what his purpose was so far from the border other than to check we had no illegal passengers. Yes I know the Mexican border is much different than the Canadian border but I still won’t be carrying my passport with me every where I go. I think that is just inviting trouble. I leave it locked in the safe until we need it for something such as crossing the border, going onto a military base, etc. However it’s better not argue with those folks and so I didn’t. 

Poncho Villa raided the town of Columbus, NM  not far from the Mexican border. This raid caused a reactionary force to enter Mexico after him but they failed in their mission returning back to the USA without him.

Back in Deming we found the Wally’s world and decided to brave the store. It wasn’t that busy actually. However they were getting ready for long lines later in the evening when their Black Friday sales starts. They had clothing racks and skids, etc all jammed here and there to make room for ‘customer lines at check out’ with arrows taped to the floor indicating which line should go to which cash register. We picked up our few groceries and headed out. We pulled up to a cashier and just started unloading, no wait, so you know it wasn’t busy.

Noticed a farmer working this field as we passed by on our way to Deming

Back in the Dogsled we headed home. Eager to get back for some lunch. As we pulled in we noticed a few turn overs in the park, some folks left, new folks moved in their spot and of course the boon docking spots have a big turn over every couple of days too. 

The top of Observation Hill

After putting away our few groceries, I prepped the lunch veggies and Riley prepared our green salad. Before long we were outside BBQ’ing mixed veggies with orange zest and a nice chicken breast with Hawaiin BBQ sauce. We enjoyed our books and salads waiting for the rest to cook on low heat. Inside we had also made up some stuffing and that was lunch. Salad, stuffing, mixed veggies and chicken breast. I topped mine off with a small pecan pie and Riley had a couple of small chocolate donuts she picked up at Wally’s today. 

We made it.

After cleaning up we packed our little backpack with a couple bottles of water, sun screen and the camera, grabbed our walking sticks and headed for the top of Observation Hill. It’s a mile hike each way. A very steep climb but the view is stunning from the top. We wandered along the hiking path taking our time as we climbed to the top resting only once. At the top we plopped ourselves on a bench to enjoy the view, some water and a wee rest. We opted for the road on the way down instead of the trail. It was a steep decent but we made it with no slipping or sliding, and Riley didn’t have to catch me even one time. I didn’t check the time before we left but I think we were gone about an hour. Not a fast walk but it was quite the climb. We did enjoy it very much though. 

Love the sun on the desert plants as it sets

Home again I started to edit pictures but headed out to catch the sunset instead. A number of rabbits in the area. One eating breakfast outside the Igloo window this morning had the cat and I fighting for a seat at the window, with different thoughts of course. Her thoughts were definitely …yum….breakfast and mine were…..oh how cute!! The little fella was a cotton tail and he wasn’t one bit concerned with our moving around or making noise. Tonight on my way to a good vantage point to see the sunset I noticed a number of cotton tails here and there along the way. I also managed to catch a Jack Rabbit on the run through the cactus garden tonight during the sunset. He almost looked like a kangaroo, he was moving right along with those long hind legs. 

Going down....

A pretty nice sunset tonight, not a lot of clouds but still a few caught the ‘fire’ of the sun. Home and in the door by 5:30 pm having finished with the sunset I have been editing pictures and writing this post since. 

Sinking fast...

So as you can see our day is about over and it was certainly an educational and enjoyable one. Once again, Happy Thanksgiving to all of our US friends and to those Canadians that are here celebrating as well. 

The cloud colour is also fading fast...

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment. 

Taken while sitting in my chair at our spot

Until next time….be safe, take care..

The eastern sky is a beautiful hue.

Deb 

 

New Fuel Filter, toured a museum, and not on the list...

Our Location: City of Rocks State Park, Faywood, NM

Morning followed a wee bit cooler night, the outside temp this morning around 7 pm (MST) was about 40 F/ 5C. The Igloo was much warmer hovering about 55F/12C but I turned the heater on for a few minutes anyway. We were toasty in no time. We didn’t have time to dawdle this morning as we had an appointment in Deming for ‘this morning’.  We took the camera, a change of clothes, hats, water bottles and some new CD’s with us as we headed out about 8:35 am. 

This marks the way to the basement entrance

The drive was pleasant and we didn’t need the aid of Pheobe or Bella, our GPS devices.  I figured out the way all on my own. Damn I’m good. ~laugh~ We scooted through the town of Deming to Auto Tech  arriving at 9:10 am. Jerry the fella behind the desk took us right in to change the fuel filter with an original GM filter (He assured us yesterday). They even checked out an annoying noise that occurs when we travel rough roads or manage to hit a bump. The noise is a spring, not broken or out of place just noisy. The total bill was $128 USD. I thought that wasn’t too bad. The service was quick, courteous and informative. Jerry has lived in the area most of his life and gave us a few ideas of things to see, places to go, etc. 

Some of the bigger pottery pieces

Leaving there we headed for the Deming Mimbres Armory Museum. We found it with little difficulty. Don’t be fooled by the front doors which were gated, the entrance is around the side and down the stairs. We were greeted by a very nice volunteer that gave us a small glimpse of what the museum holds and was able to drop a couple of well known historical names of people that passed through this area. I found that to be very cute. ~laugh~ 

This doll survived the Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan

When asked to sign the guest book, Riley chuckled as she looked over my shoulder, it asked how I’d heard about the museum, I simply filled in : Another Canadian. Thanks George and Suzie. (Our Awesome Travels) The lady looked kind of questioningly at Riley when she chuckled and since she already knew we were Canadian I explained my ‘how did you hear of us’ answer to her. She laughed along with Riley. 

North Bay's Dionne Quints also are in this doll display

It is an amazing place. Truly with a number of very interesting things to see, we started with the local area and the dolls first. The local area didn’t hold a lot of interest for us but it was well covered with pictures of various peoples.

Riley offered to do the laundry!!

The doll room was truly something to see. I couldn’t begin to guess how many dolls might be in that room. Hand sewn, porcelain, plastic, etc. Dolls of all races and backgrounds, shapes, colours, sizes and gender. There is a doll there that was picked up after the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima and brought back to the USA. It is still intact and an interesting addition to the display. The Dionne Quints from North Bay, Ontario also made an appearance in this museum. 

1883 Navy Colt, .36 Cal pistol

We moved on through the museum taking in displays of pottery, clothing, furniture, appliances, medical advances, dental equipment, barber shop equipment, as well as some old vehicles including a horse drawn hearse, buggies, sleigh, and a few old automobiles as well. The chuck wagon and western displays  were well done, with numerous saddles, chaps and hats hanging around as well. 

City of Rocks sign in the park

It took us about an hour and half to get through and we didn’t take long to look at any  one display as there is just too much to take in on one visit. It was truly an enjoyable way to spend the morning. 

Love the hole up there.

We dropped into Walmart to pick up a few things, and realizing that tomorrow is Thanksgiving we think it will be a day around the park since pretty much everything will be closed. We may just not get to do much more sight seeing here as time is running out. Just more reason to come back another time. 

This fella was very still.

Today for lunch I had a large garden salad with some chopped chicken tossed in. Riley had chicken and a few little finger foods on the side. We cheated and bought the chicken at Walmart. 

Love this cactus

The camp host Bob and his wife Ruth came by to ask if I had a reservation for my site and how long I was staying. I had mentioned before that we had no paper work because we had reserved on line and was assured we didn’t need any. It seems the computer print out of reservations doesn’t have me listed on it. I showed them my confirmation letter which stated I’m here until Saturday 25, 2017 and they were happy. Said they’d mark it in the calander. They told me they didn’t need to see it but I felt better knowing they KNEW I have a right to the spot. A lot of folks are looking for electric sites for the long weekend. Later talking to Bob and Ruth I was told I was on the print out for yesterday but not today. I’m also on line at the Reserve America site but not on their print outs here at the park. They’ve fixed it by hand writing me in and telling everyone that needs to know we do have a reservation.

Noticed this water fountain in Deming

We noticed a camper parked in one of the boon docking spots when we made it home after our morning out. He packed up and moved into the spot beside us, and was starting to set up when the camp host had to tell him to move as the site was reserved. I see he has returned to the boon docking site.

A stroll around the park netted us about an hours worth of exercise and today we stuck to the road all the way. It appears about 1/2 of the boon docking sites are taken now. 

Sitting outside in my shorts and t’shirt at 3:45 pm enjoying the sunshine but thinking I should put on a shirt as the slight breeze can be a bit chilly, but I’m comfy where I am and have no desire to move. I truly am lazy. ~laugh~ 

I’m currently reading a book by Scot Turow, The Burden of Proof,  it’s very slow and I’m having a hard time getting into it. I may just chuck it for something more lively. I’ll give it one more try and see if I do any better. 

The park is filling up with the weekend approaching, the sound of children can be heard among the rocks. It’s nice to hear them having fun.

Always pink sky in the east at sunset.

I interrupted writing this post to go out for sunset pictures. I can tell you they weren’t very inspiring. No clouds tonight and so the sun simply sank with a bit of a light show but nothing too major. It was still nice though.

Nice among the rock formations here.

I wandered around the upper garden (by the boon docking area) waiting for some light show and managed to find some new cactus there.

A nice glow in the sky.

Chatted with Bob, Ruth and Ruby (14 year old deaf dog) as they strolled off to see if they could get a good look at the sun set too. 

About the best of the pics tonight

Back home, had a shower and settled down to edit pictures and finish my post. Confirmed our reservations for the upcoming move on Saturday, so we’re all set. It’s been a good day. 

Ruth, Ruby and Bob catching the sunset.

Not an exciting day, but definitely an interesting one. Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment.

Until next time…be safe, take care…

Deb

A trip to Deming, scrambling around the rocks, and a beautiful sunset......

Our Location: City of Rocks State Park, Faywood, NM

A beautiful evening last night for sleeping. Not cold at all. I think the outside temps reached something like 55 F/11C. Back in Ontario the day time highs aren’t reaching that. 

 

On the road to Deming, Nm

The sun was up before I was this morning. I seemed to kind of just pass out when I went to bed and slept like a rock. Which is very unusual for me. The morning sun wasn’t hot but it was warming and that was nice streaming through the windows. 

 

Need some big feet to fill these boots.

We were up and out the door around 9 am heading for Deming. I had checked out some reviews on line with regards to various auto shops in the area and based on the reviews  we were heading for Auto Tech on Country Club Road SE.  We found cell signal about 5 miles out from the park, not great but it got better and better the closer we got to Deming. It’s funny that my jet pack worked and we could use it for Facebook, email, blogs, etc. It only had a couple of bars but worked fantastic. 

 

Peppers Supermarket in Deming.

 

Back to the auto repair shop I mentioned, the reason is simple the Dogsled left me a love note on the screen saying: change fuel filter.  I will say I’m a bit shocked as in Amarillo it still showed about 30% life left,  that hasn’t been far and now it’s in need of a change. The oil is still at about the 30% life, which is close to what it was in Amarillo as well.  Oh well, I’ll just do the filter tomorrow and do the oil when it reaches about 15-20%.  The fella behind the desk at Auto Tech assured me they would get me a true GM filter and told me to come back in the morning between 9 -10 am. Didn’t take my name or anything, so I hope I have an appointment. ~laugh~ 

 

Love this, Moose Drool!!!!

  

We left there and just toured around the small town. We found all kinds of interesting houses and buildings, with some southwest flavour and some that were totally not southwest but didn’t look quite right. I think it was the lack of grass. ~laugh~  I wonder what they do with their time, they don’t have grass to cut or rake, they don’t have snow to shovel or ice to chip away. Of course I don’t have those things to do now either. ~laugh~

All Chile Peppers

 

We found a grocery store called Peppers Supermarket. It was so interesting. We noticed brands of things we’ve never heard of and seen items that left us confused. The corn husks were plentiful, skids and skids of them, and over $3 for a bag, not a huge bag either. I know someone out there knows what they do with them but I’m thinking of all the corn I’ve husked over the years, look at all the money I’ve thrown away in the compost pile. ~laugh~  This grocery store had a huge section  that was nothing but chile peppers. They had some really interesting alcohol too. They even had a small display case of about 50 bottles that were ON SALE.  A big bottle of Tequila was $25, good thing I don’t drink much anymore. There was a lot shots in that bottle. Some Smirnoff and a few other brands I noticed as well. Imagine having such a sale in Ontario. I think that’s unheard of. 

 

Reduced to clear liquor.

 

From the grocery store we headed out again, checking out some of the local neighborhoods. Amazing things you see when you take your time and look around.

The campground as seen from the pay post on the way in

 

We ended up at Walmart to get some groceries. We wandered around a bit checking out a few things but mostly just walked out with the list of groceries, along with a couple of extra things not on the list. 

 

Can you see the bunny?

 

Home about 12:30 pm, it was warm outside, nice enough to sit out in short pants and t shirts. The wind was a bit strong though, would have been much nicer out of the wind. but we still managed to enjoy it anyway. We had our salad while our lunch was cooking on the BBQ. Dill potatoes, butternut squash, and hawaiin chicken breast. Good stuff. We didn’t care for the butternut squash, we found it too much like sweet potatoes, which I don’t really care  for either. We are thinking we may mix it with some other squash and mash it together, or we may just give it away. I mean it’s not bad, but we prefer the acorn, and spaghetti. At least we tried it.

 

We scrambled through here.

 

After a quick clean up we donned our shoes, sunscreen and caps, grabbed our walking sticks and headed off. We decided we would walk the perimeter of the campground’s boon docking area. We dropped our plastics in the recycle bins near the washrooms on our way. We walked along the roadway checking out the sites available. Some nice ones for sure. We turned right into Pegasus North Campground, found some great spots I’m sure we would fit into and a few that I don’t think would suit us. We watched a fella with a long motor home towing a small Santa Fe behind come thru the gateway there. Truly I didn’t think he’d make it, I was sure the car would catch the corner fence post, but he made it. How I have no clue but he did. Cudo’s to him!

 

And through here too.

 

After leaving Pegasus North we started along the roadway again behind the rocks until we seen the sign for Indian Grinding Mills pointing up into the rocks. We were off. ~laugh~ A first Riley wasn’t too thrilled but she soon warmed to the task. We would come to various trails taking turns choosing which route to take. Some were a little steep but she managed fine. We stumbled around (as we are not mountain goats and fleet of foot) in the paths of the rocks for about 40 minutes. We had a great time. We finally slide down to the picnic table at one of the dispersed sites and found our way to the road. Another 5 minutes and we were back at the Igloo. It was indeed an entertaining way to spend our walk.

 

One of the picnic tables in the dry camp area in a rock alcove.

 We made it home about 4 pm. So we were out walking for about 90 minutes. It was fun and longer than we normally walk. Not bad for a couple of folks that haven’t walked much as of late and certainly not in this type of terrain. Congrats to Riley, she did very well, and I’m very proud of her. I know she didn’t think she would be able to do it when we started. 

 

Looks like this cactus is going to be in full bloom soon

 

As we approach the US Thanksgiving we notice a lot of kids around, they must be on a school break for the holiday. It’s nice to know kids are kids no matter where you are, the sounds of their voice echoing and bouncing off the rocks was nice to hear. They weren’t loud or screamers, just having fun. I like that. 

 

This guy is kind of bent out of shape...

 

I did manage to chat with my dad this afternoon before we reached home. He told me he’d read my blog this morning and knew all was well. I had messaged my sister last night on Facebook to call him with a message that we had arrived but had no cell service. She did and I’m grateful to her, thanks Jan!! According to Dad it’s cold, damp, and dreary with rain and yet there is still snow under the trees. Deer season is currently going strong there. Nephew Jason seen one but far away and apparently it is still going on it’s merry way. ~laugh~ 

 

The quarter moon tonight over the park.

 

So we are home now for the evening. I’ll edit pics and add them before posting in a couple of hours. I’ll be watching for the sunset tonight as well before I hit the ‘publish’ button in Blogger. Spectacular last night, I’m sure tonight will be just as amazing. 

 

Pink in the east over the ranger station.

 

While sitting outside writing this post the camp host lady (one of them) was walking by I asked her if they like Butternut Squash, she answered in the affirmative and we no longer have to worry about what to do with the rest of it. We were both happy, them to take it, and me to give it. Worked out well.  The camp hosts are from Wisconsin I think he said, but I know his name is Bob, and I have no idea what her name is. They are however extremely friendly. 

 

The beginning of the sunset

 

The sunset was amazing, we walked down to the Ranger’s station to watch it. The yellow turned to pink to orange and finally red, then the darkness set in. Beautiful.

 

Amazing colour behind those rocks.

 

Walking back to the Igloo after the setting of the sun, Bob walked out to chat for a few minutes, comments about the sunset, the park, distance to walk to see this or that. Ever helpful is Bob.

 

Such fire in the sky.

 

 So thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your day as well. Feel free to leave a comment.

 

A stunning end to the day.

Until next time….be safe, take care.