Arrive at our winter home

Arrived at Tombstone Territories RV Park yesterday around 3:30 pm, good trip from Elephant Butte, NM, little wind and that was great since the area we drove through is an area that has many warnings of high winds, dust storms and gusty winds as you drive through small mountain ranges and large open deserts with sparse vegetation. We did not go through Las Cruces this year as we could not get in touch with our friends Mark and Annette, so decided to take a shortcut (Hwy 26) which is known as the Hatch Hwy and is the scenic route. Very happy we decided to take the road less travelled, good paved 2 lane road, scenic and joins I10 at Deming, NM and cuts about 50 miles off the trip to our park in AZ. After driving the scenic route, the interstate runs through the desert for miles it is exciting to be driving through small mountain ranges, the rock formations all through New Mexico and Arizona never cease to intrigue us!




To me this looks like a castle sitting on top of the hill.

From this angle the castle is not so apparent. It is unfortunate that the picture did not capture the different colours of the rock, they are striking to the eye!

Santa Fe, to Elephant Butte, NM

We drove from Santé Fe, NM accidentally taking HWY 14 (wrong turn leaving the park) known as the Turquoise Trail, the road was paved, okay but narrow and windy through the Sandia and I think San Pedro Mountains we drove through Madrid on the only road that goes directly through the middle of town and only wide enough for 2 vehicles, with the buildings set right on the edge of the road, we met one car and he had to move over as far as possible as we did to go by each other. We could not stop not a place to park the rig, but what an interesting looking little town. I had left the camera in the fifth wheel thinking I had enough pictures taken from the Interstates, sure wish I had packed it in the truck! Of course I had to look up its history on the Internet which proved to be very interesting. An old coal mining town which also had a gold rush, some silver mining and is reported to be haunted. The town has become a haven for artists and craftsmen. The natives actually mined Turquoise there 1500 years ago.
Check the links below.
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/NM-Madrid.html
You can also check out information on the Turquoise Trail at the above link.
http://www.visitmadridnm.com/
Highway 14 connects to I40 east of Albuquerque and added some miles to our trip but worth the views, wish we could travel it again with just the truck!

We stayed at Cozy Cove RV Park close the Elephant Butte Dam, nearest town Truth or Consequences, NM.
Nice clean park built on five levels, the area we stayed was brand new, all gravel but very level large sites. The area is known for good fishing, hiking and hot springs. Truth and Consequences was named after the radio program, you can read the story at the link below along with other information regarding the area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_or_Consequences,_New_Mexico
We only spent the night there as were anxious to arrive at our winter home.




As you can see, nothing but gravel but a HUGE area to pull into your spot!










Some brand new landscaping, all the trees and other plants they have planted are irrigated, this area will be beautiful in a few years time.

Pueblo West, CO to Santa Fe, NM

Today we travelled from Pueblo West, CO to Santa Fe, NM. We only spent one night at the Pueblo West Campground and Horse Arena (same place we stayed last year on our way home.) Our friends Charlie and Dawn were both working so did not get a chance to visit. Today was pretty much an uphill trip all the way; elevation at Pueblo West, Co is 4750 ft. then climbing through the Raton Pass at 7834 ft. then downhill to Santa Fe, NM at 7260 ft. A beautiful drive through the pass as it follows the old Santé Fe Trail. Very interesting area, the pass is designated as a National Historic Landmark read the history and other facts here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raton_Pass

Longmont, to Pueblo West, CO

Short trip today, stopping in Pueblo West, CO. We did plan on staying a couple of days to visit with Charlie and Dawn but now due to all the weather stops we are only staying overnight. The snow along the edge of the highways was melting which created lots of spray from vehicles, especially the big trucks, now our truck and fifth is really filthy, ah well we will wash it once we reach our winter home! One good thing the spray cleaned all the mud stuck around the wheels, etc. The snow disappeared as we travelled south and the campground at Pueblo West was pretty much dry with some puddles left in the low spots. No TV in this campground but they do have WiFi so we could chat online with friends! All in all it was a good day!

Casper, WY to Longmont, CO

The weather man was correct, the wind calmed down about 50 miles down the road, we drove in and out of areas where we could see the remainder of the snow. Every time we drove out of a snow covered area we thought, good there should be no snow in Longmont, but as we came towards Cheyenne, WY we could see the snow covered mountains and when we arrived at Longmont, there was snow along the sides of the roads. We stayed at St. Vrains State Park, same as last year, easy to find, with many walking trails, fishing ponds and many birds. The last mile or so into the park is not paved and this trip due to snow, the gravel road was a huge mess of mud, as well as the walking trails and roads within the park were muddy! Yikes, the rig, the dogs and our shoes were a muddy mess when we left the next day, although the dogs loved the snow, they romped, rolled, ate the snow and tried to chase the geese which were everywhere! This park has very nice level sites with little shelters over the picnic tables, is a very popular fishing spot, even this time of year we saw many fishermen trying their luck. The road into the park is supposed to upgraded next year according the park attendant but with all the budget cuts who knows if that will happen, if not we may have to make a different choice on the trip home, sure hope not though, this is a great place to stop!
I didn’t take any pictures this year, but you can see what a nice park it is here:
http://parks.state.co.us/Parks/StVrain

Hardin, MT to Casper, WY

Good trip, saw many antelope in Wyoming, Sheridan, WY was buried in snow, everything was white but highway was clear and dry, we drove out the snow area thankfully before we hit Casper, WY, although the mountains were covered in snow and still lots of snow around where the sun had not had a chance to melt it, the Campground was mostly dry with a little snow here and there. We camped again at Ft. Casper on the North Platte River. The park has a large area to walk the dogs, which is important to us, although getting into the park is a little tricky as they landscaped the entrance with huge boulders on both sides and down the middle at the entrance road, creating a one way only, but they should have left the large boulders out! The park is home to many species of wildlife and tons of rabbits, we saw many deer tracks, no deer though, but when we walked the dogs the rabbits were every where! The wind kicked up the next day so we hung out Monday, hopeful the wind would die down. The Ft. Casper Museum is within walking distance but it was closed on Monday so we did a little driving around and shopping. Tuesday, still windy with gusts, not a strong as yesterday, after checking the weather down the road, we decided to leave, the wind was predicted to calm down as we headed south and there more bad weather on the way.
You can read the history and other information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casper,_Wyoming

Hardin, MT

Today is a bit warmer than yesterday, partly cloudy, no rain or snow, we figured we would not be able to travel until Monday but looks like we can leave tomorrow as the nasty weather is moving a little faster south than predicted.

Our campsite in Grandview Campground in Hardin. All sites have a little shed for the people that are staying long term. This is a nice campground, in town, clean, well kept and managed by three ladies they do have a laundry, showers and games room, the games room is only open in the summer, very good stop.

Cannot see the mountains today due to cloud but they are visible on a clear day.

While hanging out I thought I would look up some information on the town of Hardin, if you care to read here is a link. http://www.travelmt.com/mt-cities-Hardin.html
Basically a small town of around 3000, surrounded by ranches, farms and sits on the banks of the Bighorn River. In the distance are the Bighorn and Pryor Mountains which are actually on the Crow Indian Reservation that is right on the edge of town. The town celebrates Custer’s Last Stand and the battle that took place June, 1876 in this area with a huge celebration and re-enactment. You can read more here: http://www.custerslaststand.org/
For the past six years, the Re-enactment has been listed in the top 100 events in the nation in Destinations magazine, so obviously the town does a fabulous job, too bad we can’t be here in June to enjoy it! Well if all goes well, we will off to Casper, WY tomorrow.

In Lewistown, MT

The trip so far has been pretty good, stopped at Whispering Spruce Campground in Balzac the first night, not a campground we like nor would I recommend it to anyone but it is open all year, easy on and off the highway so suits our purpose. We were unable to connect with our granddaughter, Jennifer other than via a phone call, she had previous plans for the evening, but hopefully we can meet on the way home. I talked to our friend Floss and she was suffering from a nasty cold, so again maybe a visit will happen on our way home.

Our second night was spent at Under 8 Flags campground in Milk River, they are doing some major renovations there, and hopeful all will be ready by spring. This campground is a major stopover for Snowbirds every spring and fall due to it’s proximity to the border.
We got off to late start due to Woody helping a fellow camper with a hitch problem he had with the tow behind car, with some assistance from the guys that were working on the construction project this issue was solved, gotta love it when you meet people so willing to lend a hand. We crossed the border with no problem, just took a long time because they were so busy. There was a SW west blowing which killed our fuel economy and this trip was longer than the previous days, I was very tense wondering if we would make our destination before we ran out of fuel although Woody kept assuring me that we would be okay and he did have a jerry can in the back of the truck in case we needed it. The highway we take to Lewistown is quite desolate, no cell coverage most of the way and we ran into construction. Well needless to say we made it but later than we have ever arrived at the campsite; set up in the dark is not the best even though the fifth does have lights to accommodate such happenings. We were both happy to be set up and settled in the fifth that evening. The campground has Wi-Fi but very poor speed and it keeps dropping so almost useless but it is a decent campground and on our route. Next morning we decided we needed to do some laundry and replenish the larder. We do not carry much fresh food when crossing the border, you cannot take fresh fruit at all and the list always changes when it comes to eggs, cheese, veggies etc., so we find it easier to load up after crossing. Meat other than any lamb product is okay, we found out on a previous trip that even dog food with lamb is not allowed and always keep the container of any dog food in case the guards want confirmation of contents.




We have a nice view of the mountains while walking the dogs at Mountain Acres Campground in Lewistown. As you can see the weather is beautiful and we feel very blessed as we walk the dogs.



We got off to a good start as check out time at Mountain Acres Campground is 10:30 am, no exceptions made, we made good time, weather was nice, partly cloudy, little wind, so were set up early at Grandview Campground in Hardin and able to enjoy the nice weather the day we arrived it was 54F (12c). Excellent Wi-Fi here and cable TV, even with the Outdoor Channel so Woody was very happy that he could watch hunting shows and I could watch a few game shows! We checked the weather and not a good report, temps dropping, snow and rain predicted here as well as down the road so we decided we would stay put for at least a couple of days. Good decision, next morning was raining which turned to snow later in the day, cool, foggy and wet until today around noon. The sun is shinning now and it is about 41F (5c) as I write this. The weather moved south towards Casper, WY and all the way down our route to Santa Fe, NM so we think we may be able to leave tomorrow and just stay behind the nasty stuff, once we get to Las Cruces, NM the weather is warm, no worries of snow usually. We are very thankful that we have a safe journey thus far and pray for a continued safe journey to AZ. Will see what tomorrow brings!

Fall is here

The summer has flown by so quickly I cannot believe it is now the end of September.  We have had a wonderful summer visiting with friends, family and looking after the park. Woody kept very busy, doing a couple of renos for friends along with park duties. Over the summer and fall I have captured some photos of wild flowers that bloom in the fields and along the trails and also caught a great picture of a moth hanging out on the tree right in front of our little deck.   

Above you can see how well he blends in with this colouring and below he is clinging to the tree, he stayed there until the dogs bothered him. . 

The bush area was alive with many flowers, Saskatoon bushes, wild Raspberries, Currents and Bunchberry plants.  There were also tons of wild Strawberries which did not produce well this year at all.  Cookie and Muffin loved the Raspberries and would eat the berries as we walked the path.  When they had cleaned up berries off the low branches they would stand on their hind legs to get the berries from the higher branches, they looked so cute but I was not able to capture any pictures.

Bunchberries in bloom, they cover the ground in areas of the bush.

Later in summer, each plant has at least 3 berries in the center that last until the snow flies.  

Tiger Lilies bloom throughout July along trails and in the bush. 

These little Asters bloomed in abundance throughout the summer.

Part of the field of Asters, they don’t look like much but were actually very pretty, I just did not capture the beauty.

I took this a few days ago this Aster was still surviving in the bush. 

I liked the variety of colours and shapes all intermingling.  

I love the way the sun is shinning on these plants.

 

These plants have bright pink blossoms and bloom most of the summer, when they go to seed they produce the fluffy white seed pods with very pretty curled tendrils wrapping around the stem, very pretty and interesting, I just did not take a close up picture of the tendrils but will next year!

There are coyotes galore every year here which serenaded us many evenings and this year for the first time we had a couple of bears hanging out in the bush. Woody and other hikers saw lots of bear scat along the trails, Woody spotted one Black bear and we had reports of a Cinnamon coloured black bear as well.   We posted Caution signs so all users of the park would be aware of the bears presence.  I always stuck to the one trail that did not have any bear scat present or walked the field when walking the dogs, I had no desire to see the bears, not that there was much chance of that, the dogs and I make too much noise!

New Look

We had new carpet installed in the living area and the garage which is now a combo office, storage area and Woody's work area.

After saying goodby to Will and Sean we got busy and moved all the furniture, cupboards and other stuff out of the fifth wheel. We were just about finished when Norm arrived at 10:00 am and lucky for us it was a nice day as everything had to be outside during the installation. Woody opend the large drop door at the back of the fifth, propped it up so we could move my desk, chairs, cupboards, and othe stuff onto the door. The other items had to sit on the ground, wished I would have taken some pictures but we were so busy, did not think of it. Anyway the carpet was installed, good quality berber with industrial underlay so should last awhile. We had to hurry and move all the stuff back in as it had started to sprimkle, lucky for us it was just a shower and not a downpour. It took several days to get everything back in place again, as we have to secure all items so they do not bounce around while travelling. Here are a couple of pics of the new look!

The new carpet is extended to the cupboards which creates the look and feel of a larger living space.

We also got rid of the dinette bench, we had tossed one out while in AZ and bought the two chairs and now decided we like the extra space, so did not reinstall the bench and will stick with just 2 chairs. We will pick up some small folding chairs for extra seating for company though.

The carpet is so nice in what was the garage, this space is warmer and feels more like part of our home now.

My desk on the right and Woody's bench on the left, sorry couldn't get a better pic of his area due to small area.

I really do like my space now, better organized and feels so much warmer and brighter.

Thought we would be finished with renovations when we sold the house but I guess we are addicted eh! LOL

Sure worth it though, better use of space and suits our needs much better!

My dear husband has more plans to improve our living space but that will wait until next year or maybe happen while we are in AZ this winter!

Huck and Sean Visit

Huck (Will) and Whip (Sean) stopped by at the Rolling Castle Saturday afternoon, they were on their way to Yellowknife, NWT and from there they will fly north to hunt Musk ox. We had a great visit, ate, shared some Adult beverages, and left around 8:00 am Sunday for the remainder of the drive to Yellowknife (about 15 hours). We were so happy to see Huck again and meet Whip, great guys both of them!!! They are interesting, pleasant and fun to visit with, time flew by so fast, we were so busy enjoying our time with them that we only managed to snap a couple of pictures. They do plan on stopping again on their way home and we are looking forward to seeing them again. If you ever get a chance to meet either one, do not pass up the opportunity, you will not be disappointed. They are first class people!





Huck (Will), Woody and Whip (Sean)

Patsy's 65th Birthday

I had a wonderful 65th birthday! During the day a friend (Carolyn) I used to work with dropped in, we visited for a couple of hours, Myrna, my friend since we were 9 years old called, we yakked on the phone for over an hour, she has always been my soul mate. Woody was gone all day working on an ongoing reno for a friend. When he returned home he said he was so sorry he had not had time to get a card or anything, and then he totally surprised me with a delivery of a dozen red and white roses and card delivered to our home and then a gathering of about 20 friends and family! I was totally surprised as we had discussed my birthday previously, I had said a get to together with Tracy, Michelle and families on Monday would be just great, not to worry about anything on Friday!





The gorgeous bouquet from my beloved husband!














Friends, Stan and Deb, with guess who in the middle eh!




Friends, Harvey, Karen, and Linda








I am so blessed to have received many cards, which I have displayed in our home, lotto tickets (didn't win any money but had fun dreaming), wine (saving for another special day) and these beautiful flowers from friends.






A group in the campground were having a sing song in the shelter next door and a couple graciously came over and sung Happy Birthday to me. Standing to the left is friend Carolyn!

Allen, our old friend and former neighbor, Janice and Dale.

Granddaughter Caitlin, Brooklyn, sitting on Tracy's knee and Michelle.

Dale is the friend Woody is doing the Reno for. He is a great guy!

This was so much fun!

Ron, Frank, Pat and Jill!

Christine, her Mom Karen and our grandson Christopher!

Son-in-law Keith, Tracy, daughter Brooklyn, and me ole Grandma!

Back of Frank's head, Jose, husband Norm, Myrna and husband Ron. Jose, Norm, Myrna, Ron and Frank are members of Onoway Fish and Game Assoc. Norm and Jose manage Imrie Park along with help from other members.

Granddaughter Lindsey in the foreground,

Dave, Norm, Jose, Myrna and just caught Ron on the right.

Jill with her back to us, Dave, and Jill;s husband Scott. Scott is one of Woody's hunting buddies and I totally enjoy both he and Jill, great people. Scott is part owner of the Wild TV channel, the only Canadian hunting channel.

It had rained all day, was very cool but the sun blessed us during the evening so we were able to enjoy the outdoors for awhile then retreated to the kitchen where we had a warm fire in the woodstove! The evening went by so fast and thanks to all our friends and family I shall remember this day forever, I do belieive it was one of my best birthday's ever!

Thanks to my husband for organizing it, and our friends and family for helping us celebrate!

Fire Pit

One of our faithful campers here in the park donated a fire pit for our site, the fire pit is very unique and cannot be purchased in any store. The cone comes from a coal mine, is stainless steel and is perforated throughout making it ideal for a fire pit. Rick and Wendy camp here all the time and have also donated Solar Lights for each site in the park as well as money for other small projects at the park. Rick delivered the fire pit on Friday night and we were planning on having a “fire pit planting party” on Sunday but the weather did not cooperate so after Woody completed his park duties we decided to “plant the fire pit” this evening. We invited Wendy for the sod turning (Rick was working). As you can see in the picture below Wendy just couldn’t sit and watch.

Sure is nice to have the tractor to use!

Wendy and I supervising!

Not quite finished, need some washed rock to finish our masterpiece. The outside ring was also donated to us by Rick and Wendy. Thanks guys we will enjoy the firepit for years to come!

We have not initiated the fire pit yet but soon!

Lunch at Wabamun Lake

I met our 2 girls, Tracy, Michelle, their girls and Oreo for lunch at Wabamun Lake Provincial Park and spent the afternoon enjoying time with the girls. The park has three day use areas; they are beautiful and very large with access to the lake. Being a weekday I was surprised how many people were there making use of the area we choose. I treasure time with just “us girls”, the grandchildren are a delight and it gives us all a time to relax, take in the scenery and engage ourselves in “girl talk”.
The day use area is on Moonlight Bay and small part of the lake. The Park offers many activities, from walking, bird watching, swimming, boating etc. For more information click on the links below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabamun_Lake_Provincial_Park

http://www.travelwestvisual.com/TravelAlberta/Home/Pages/Heartland/DryVaAr/WabLa/ProP/ProP.htm

Tracy's girls, Brookln and Lindsey relaxing.

Brooklyn and Caitlin (Michelle's daughter).

Above and to the right, the day use area.

The day use area had 2 different playgrounds, the grandchildren had great fun playing on them.

A squirrel that played on the tree right by our table, drove Oreo nuts, she so wanted to chase it!

Tracy, Caitlin and Michelle.

Lindsey taking a break in the shade. It was a very nice warm day!