Run Home - Dec. 16 - 18

Watching the weather module with the hope of slipping between storms, we are heading home on Rte. 81.

Monday the 16th - Tannehill Ironworks Historic SP in McCalla, AL - Time to fully winterize and perhaps take the last warm shower for a while.

Tuesday the 17th - A sign for the Ole Smokehouse caught our eye on the way out. With eyes bigger than our refrig, we left with an assortment of bacon, sausage, ribs and a hunk of venison loin to cram in. Walking in the shop with us was a hunter who brought deer meat for processing. The cover of the cooler was off and looking down at the quartered deer, I made a comment that I wasn't really sure about venison because I had only had stew meat. He offered up a loin and told Harry to cut off a piece. Hmm. Looks like we need to trade up from Cracker Barrel to a park tonight so we can barbecue! It was a day of gifts. Arriving at Warriors Path State Park in Kingsport, TN around 6:30, the ranger wished us a Merry Christmas and free night because we came late and were leaving early. The venison was excellent!

Wednesday the 18th - What's all this white stuff! Although not the longest run, 687 miles was enough for today. Tucked in with the big guys at the Welcome Center in Danbury CT puts us 185 miles from Hull. Should be home for lunch.

Thursday the 19th - Home!

New Orleans - Dec. 13 - 15

Fun time visiting my brother, Jay, touring the city, photo sessions, walking down Bourbon Street with a beer just because I can, people watching and eating crayfish etouffee, jambalaya, muffalettas, grilled oysters and spumoni. I will be rolling home to a diet.

My lips are sealed on the rest because what happens in NOLA stays in NOLA!.

Photos

Anahauc - Dec. 11 - 12

There were all sorts of choices for camping around Anahauc. Some boondocking but there was quite a selection of county parks. It wasn’t clear how the park system worked and we were going to be late so I called the Commissioner’s Office. Turned out camping was free but you need to get a permit from their office. Camping is allowed for 3 days per park which is quite generous considering there were 5 parks in that one precinct.

Anahauc National Wildlife Refuge was big, beautiful and filled with birds. We spent a full day and Harry built up many “chits” taxiing me around. It was just too big to bike around in the time we had. To be there a week or more would be wonderful. Texas has turned out to be a surprise. The entire route we drove was beautiful and will be a trip by itself someday soon.

Photos

South to the Border for Warmth - Dec. 9 - 10

Still turning south, we headed to Pancho Villa SP in Columbus, NM on the border. The cold pushed down with us and we woke to 19 degrees outside, 30 in with a slightly frozen waterline inside the van. The outside had been winterized and we were pretty toasty under all the down so who would have known. All was fine w/a little heat and temp. that rose 20 degrees in less than an hour once the sun came up.

We drove many miles along the border on Rte. 9 and it was an education. Most vehicles we passed were Border Patrol. We watched them “pulling the drag”. The drag was 3 tires chained together and towed by the patrol car at the beginning of each shift over the dirt road that runs along the barbed wire fence. This enabled them to easily see fresh footprints. I read a story dated back to 2003 when a patrol car fell into a sinkhole that turned out to be part of a tunnel system used for drugs.

Several inspection stops, another dip south on Rte. 90 and many miles through TX, we boondocked at a truck stop in Sanderson, TX. Texas is a state that allows overnight camping at rest areas. It’s just a question of finding one that you feel comfortable with. In this case, we wanted the company of lots of trucks.

Leaving well before dawn with the ravens cruising the trap line looking for last night’s road kill, we drove almost 600 miles to get through Houston and over to Anahauc.

Photos

Whitewater Draw, McNeal, AZ - Dec. 7 - 8

Heading SE on Rte. 10 w/a dip further south to Tombstone and across the Sulphur Springs Valley to McNeal, Harry asked where the heck we were going and was it safe down by the border. I didn’t know but with a tip from a guide to what coincidently turned out to be a hotspot for Sandhill Cranes, it was worth checking out.

Whitewater Draw WLR was the destination. There were three parking lots that allow overnight parking but the main entrance was the only one that entered the refuge where hunting was not allowed. It was also where thousands of Sandhill Cranes come to roost for the night. In fact, about 2/3's of AZ’s wintering cranes roost here. We got there just in time to see them coming in at sunset.

The next morning at dawn w/a temp of 23, I was out there watching them leave. We decided to stay an extra night because it really was beautiful and gave us an opportunity to visit nearby Bisbee, a copper mine town on the side of a mountain with many artists, restaurants and interesting architecture.

We still haven't quite figured out that south doesn't necessarily mean warmth when the elevation is still high.

Photos

Tucson, AZ - Dec. 4 - 6

Tucson was amazing. We stayed at the Gilbert Ray CP up in the Tucson Mountains which was really pretty and quiet this time of year. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum was down the road. The museum, mostly outside, is a zoo, natural history museum, aquarium and botanical garden. The exhibits are exceptional and have every critter you might expect to find or avoid in the desert – snakes, scorpions, wasps, centipedes, gila monsters, coyotes, javelinas and even a pack rat, a tenant at will. More on the rat later! One highlight was the free flight raptor program that ran twice a day.

A trip to the AZ State Museum was a must. The current exhibits included The Pottery Project, Ancient Architecture of the SW, Path of Life of North American Indians, Basketry and Edwin S. Curtis’ photographed record of N. American Indians.

We met up with Bob Lansing, his son Greg and wife Robin for a Mexican meal where they ordered all sorts of dishes so we were able to try everything. Delish! We also heard about Greg and Robin's plans to hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail next year. I am so jealous!

Our last day, we went back to the museum because they were hosting a Basketry and Native Food Festival. At the Apache food demo, the meal was grilled pack rat. Pack rat is something I have been accused of being from time to time and until now, didn’t really know much about them. They are desert rats that live in debris piles called middens that are used for 10s of 1000s of years. Archeologists study the middens for vegetation, climate change, bones and bits and pieces of human civilization. The Apache chef explained that this is a seasonal meal because pack rat is only hunted in the winter when they don’t have bugs and sores. I think a bird flew over and I turned when the samples were passed out but yes, Harry ate pack rat bones and all. Yuck!

On our way out of the area, we stopped by the San Xavier Mission where we met Joe Begay, a Navajo silversmith, actor and singer. Apparently he was there when the Fishers passed through. He is a character that you can’t help but buy something from!

Mostly Bird Photos

More Photos

Leaving CA for Goodyear, AZ - Nov. 30 - Dec. 3

We had heard so much about Quartzsite being a place that snowbirds head for in the winter months so we decided to spend a night on the way to Goodyear to see what it’s all about. Come January/February, Quartzsite is wall to wall RVs, flea markets and festivals including a huge mineral and rock festival,  a “sellerama” and art festivals. 

We settled on Dome Rock BLM campground for the night. This is a free area where you can stay up to 14 consecutive days. Then there are the LTVA (long term visitor areas) with stays up to 7 months Sept – Apr for $180 and RV parks. Such a deal but what do you do all that time! We had a very quiet night with the place mostly to ourselves and the coyotes.

Kathleen and Lou Ann are friends from Hull who moved out to Goodyear just west of Phoenix. They live in a beautiful complex, Pebble Creek that offers every imaginable activity – golf, fitness, swimming, art and cooking classes and on and on. We got a chance to help out with the Homeless Youth Connection where Lou Ann volunteers. This is a great organization that helps homeless youth complete high school. Just need to pair them up with my friend Jack Zorski to help them dream and get funding for college. Lots of relaxation, great food prepared by Chef Molony and a guided tour through Costco! I have been hearing so much about Costco from my sister, Carol Murphy and Kathleen, I had to see what it was all about. Think I’m hooked.

Photos

Across to Joshua Tree NP - Nov. 24 – 29

Skirting LA on a Sunday afternoon, we spent a night at Applewood CG in the San Bernardino Mountains and then detoured to Pioneertown before going into the park. 

Pioneertown was founded in 1946 by a group of Hollywood actors as a 1880s town for filming westerns. Some of the buildings are now artisan shops and others private residences. There were corrals in the back where RVs can dry camp although they do have restrooms. There was a saloon/restaurant, Pappy & Harriett’s, that has a story of its own but they also have music almost nightly. The Monday night we were there was “open mike”. This can be a good thing or deadly but we went and were blown away. Every act was great and musicians come from far and wide to perform here. It was so good, we came back 5 days later to spend our last night in the area.

Joshua Tree NP is part Mohave Desert above 3,000’ and part Colorado Desert below 3,000’. Coming in on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving was still a race for space but we were able to find a site at Ryan CG before it quickly filled. Pictures best describe but there were boulder stacks, yuccas including the Joshua Trees, assorted cactus and birds, rabbits and coyotes all of which we saw along with mountain lions and snakes that were thankfully camouflaged or hibernating. The temps were in the high 50 to 60s during the day dropping down to the middle 40s at night. Many of the campers were rock climbers (and tightrope walkers) which made us wonder if this is what college students do when they have no place to go for Thanksgiving. For our Thanksgiving meal, we brought along breast of duck that grilled up beautifully – a new favorite!

I became braver with the imaginary cougar that follows me around and hiked up to the 29 Palms Oasis and some of the hikes around the CG as well as Hidden Valley and Barkers Dam. It’s a pretty cool place that grows on you!

Photos on the way to JT
Joshua Tree Photos

Big Sur to Jalama Beach - Nov. 20 - 23

We should have held back a day because the first part of this spectacular drive was in rain and fog so we passed by several places we intended to stop and hike. The rush was on my part because I had a General Delivery package waiting in Santa Barbara that turned out to be “all for nothing” – a story for another day! 

We stayed one night in a campground at Los Padros NF, Kirk Creek in Big Sur and the next in the Morro Bay Marina Parking Lot. This was a tip from a guide and although questionable as to the legality, the sign specified parking could not exceed 72 hours. There were restrooms with coin showers and a beautiful harbor walk around to Morro Rock. There were also lots of shops and restaurants and Morro Bay was very dog friendly. Seemed like a perfect night for dinner out so we scouted out Dockside after seeing great reviews for BBQ oysters. They were wonderful!

After the unnecessary trip to Santa Barbara, we backtracked away from the congestion to Jalama Beach County Park for a few more beach days. It was here we learned that people were starting to gather en mass for Thanksgiving. Apparently it is really popular to go camping over the holidays on the west coast. We decided to start turning the corner and head to Joshua Tree NP to get settled for Thanksgiving instead of continuing down the coast south of LA.

Big Sur Photos

Morro Bay Photos
Jalama Beach Photos

Monterey - Nov. 18 - 19

Coming from Yosemite, my first reaction was that I didn't want to be here in what appeared to be a congested, honky coastal town. 

We picked the Veteran’s Memorial County Park that sits up on a hill 1.3 miles uphill from town. The first time to town, we coasted our bikes down but quickly realized the trip back up was impossible for either of us to ride. Nina and I walked back and forth each morning and soon got into the rhythm of the beautiful early morning light on the coastal walk, the marine life, Cannery Row and enjoying a cup of coffee and some sweet treat by the water. 

We met Jill, a friend of Harry’s, for lunch, got a chance to see the Monterey Aquarium, visited an unbelievable farmer’s market, got one badly needed haircut and really enjoyed the town.

Photos