because I can.
After a couple of short trips, using covid precautions, I decided to change my layout in Rosie.
I purchased a Alpincool fridge and a Jackery500 for power. I have 10 gallons of fresh water and 5 gal grey.
Heading out for a few days and see how comfy she is.
Matilda has gone to a new family and I hope they enjoy her as much as I did.
When my daughter decided to join me in New Mexico I bought an older Dodge Conversion Van.
This is the beginning.
Leasburg Dam State Park just north of Las Cruces NM sits above the Rio Grande with great views of the Organ Mts. and surrounding hills.
The trails are easy and plentiful through the whole park.
A word of advice e/w spaces 25-29 is right next to a railroad track that is busy. As in 4:00 AM busy. It doesn’t show on the map of the park.
Another nice park on the Rio Grande River with easy access.
Right after taking this photo a huge Bass jumped, I sat with camera ready till it got dark but he must have been camera shy, never jumped again.
Both parks have a lot of Humming birds.
The Rio Grande River Trail goes from north of Elephant Butte to Las Cruces and beyond. I took the picture of the nest along the trail north of the dam, I would probably not have seen it if I hadn’t been noshing on Mulberries, took me back to my childhood. The trail was blocked by debris just north of the area.
I spent 10 days at Percha Dam and except for the weekend, the park is quiet with a really nice bird alarm clock in the morning.
Pancho Villa State Park has a great museum on the history of the area and 63 camping sites. 30 and 50 amp, E/W and water only and tent sites are available.
If you plan on spending time in New Mexico the state park pass is a bargain, out of state visitors pay $225 for a year and only $4 for e/w, $8 for full hook ups and $0 for boon-docking sites. You can stay up to 14 days. I have stayed at 2 parks so far this year and my pass is half paid for.
The pioneer museum in the old depot admission is by donation and worth it.
Make sure you stop by the Patio Cafe for breakfast or lunch homemade food at its best.
This is what I found exploring.
I was anxious about going into Mexico by
Fear Less vs Fearless The Journey of a Lifetime by Malia Miles Lane. Available on Amazon.
Palomas Mexico is 3 miles south of Columbus and the only 24hr border crossing in New Mexico. If you don’t want to drive
I got a free eye exam and got new glasses ( no line Varilux) for under$150.
I walked around town and had lunch at the Pink Store and 2 hours later picked up my glasses.
I had a wonderful day in Mexico and plan on returning to Columbus.
I stayed during the “Bomb Cyclone”, don’t you just love all the new words for bad weather.
I bought an Annual Camping Pass $225 for out of state which allows me to stay for free if I don’t want hook ups or $4 for w/e and $8 for full h/u where available. So this 10 day stay was free.
Oliver Lee Memorial State Park is 12 miles south of Alamogordo NM and is a beautiful place on the edge of Dog Canyon. Plenty of hiking and history.
The story of Oliver Lee depends on who is telling it. He was a rancher and maybe a bit of an outlaw. He did have a really cool ranch house, which you can tour. The restored home is full of period pieces from the area and the self-guided tour of the grounds will show you ranch life in the desert.
All of the campsites are on the hillside and mostly level with picnic tables and fire rings. Every site has a great view.
Out of the 10 days, most were windy and overcast. The day of the bomb produced a full 24hrs of wind and a little hail.
It is almost always windy in the valley so keep that in mind when parking on a hillside, orient your rig facing north or south, out of 10 days I only had 1 day of winds from the west that really rocked me.
This was also my first time using my solar more than just a day or two, everything worked perfectly and considering the amount of time it was overcast I had no problems.
So I did all my complaining in part 1.
Quartzsite is as unique as I had heard, something for everyone and a place every RV’er should experience.
Rocks, Rocks and more Rocks.
And a very large fishing pole.
HI Jolly
The old Jail sits in the back yard of Solar Bill’s
The fun starts in October and goes through March.
Rock Shops and swap meets abound.
If you like crowds go in January for the big RV Show.
I finally made it to Quartzsite and it was just as I had imagined it would be, it is a Rockhounds paradise.
I got there in the middle of January before the big RV show. So I headed straight to Discount Solar to get an appointment. It was busy but I didn’t expect the rude exasperation I was given because I didn’t know exactly what I wanted. I wanted solar for my RV and I wanted an expert (because I was told they were experts) to guide my purchase and a company that would work with me and the cats. I made an appointment for a month out, cats in the unit ok.
I arrived back for my appointment and went in a day early to verify and remind them about the cats, no problem I was told by the man behind the counter. The next day the installer pitched a baby fit and refused to work on the unit.
So down the
Lesson learned, listen to your
October 2018
Located just south of Truth or Consequenses New Mexico these parks offer water and a view.
New Mexico state parks are a great value $14 with elec/water. Stay up to 14 days. They offer in and out of state annual camping passes which reduce the rate to $4. Caballo Lake also has full
Percha Dam is right on the Rio Grande River so it does not have a dump station you will have to use Caballo Lake. The hiking here is along the river.
October 2018
This place is HUGE.
I have to say I was a little overwhelmed at first so I just went straight to the main entrance. There are 173 developed campsites. 144 with w/e. 8 w/s/e. Primitive, boat in and beach camping.
My site was level and a picturesque.
I woke the first day to the sounds of Gambel Quail covey moving from one level to the next. They sound more like a prairie dog than a bird and I enjoyed their morning wake up calls daily since they don’t start till way after sun up.
I was also fortunate to be there during a full moon.
And a nice rain storm with extras.
September 2018
While resting up in Blanca for a month, I visited www.volunteer.gov and put in my application to volunteer. And it looks like I will be going to White Sands in November but first I need to be fingerprinted, and that happens once a week in Alamosa. I arrived early and parked right in front of the police department when I got done I asked about parking and was told to leave it where it was. And that is how it is, friendly and accommodating and a great little town to take a walk.
Below is the artwork on the side of the building that houses the Museum.
Which sadly was closed the day I was in town.
You can enjoy art on every corner.
Downtown has shops and eats and a great thrift store.
And heading west out of town is all the big box and grocery stores you could ever want.
There are plenty of camping options in the area.