Independence, MO to Tucson, AZ Nov. 3 - 20, 2007

We made a number of stops along the way from Independence, Missouri to Tucson, Arizona.  They are chronicled as follows:

Denver - Nov 4 - 14, 2007

We spent a night on the road in Russell, Kansas.  Kansas is not actually as flat as a pancake - but nearly so.  Interesting fact:  Kansas had so few trees that the farmers/ranchers made fence posts out of the very plentiful limestone.  Some limestone fence posts are still in use today.

The following night we spent in Seibert, Colorado before finally reaching Denver to pick-up business supplies and visit friends and family.  We put our home in storage at Dakota Ridge RV Park in Golden, packed our bags and dirty laundry and headed to Linda's, Susan's sister's home. 

We always enjoy being in Denver and spending time with family and our long-time friends.  During this visit we were also quite busy with Point & Surf tasks.  Dakota Ridge placed us in a RV site with an electric meter so Bill was able to use it as a work site.  Linda was able to get some time off so while Bill slaved over a hot satellite dish, Susan and Linda visited the recently opened Denver Art Museum. 

We were fortunate in that our niece Amanda flew in from Los Angeles to visit family during our stay and we were able to spend some time with her.  Our nephew Cris also found time from his multiple jobs to join us for dinner at a trendy restaurant in mid-town, and one evening we joined our friends Anita and Ann for adult beverages and munchies.

After a week at Linda's we moved back to our home in Golden to finish up some business obligations and get organized before moving south.  Our timing was perfect.  Right after we left a cold front moved in and the snow started flying.

New Mexico - Nov 16 - 19, 2007

We headed south on November 15 spending our first night at Hotel del Wal-Mart in Trinidad, Colorado, then on south through beautiful mountains and vistas to Enchanted Trails RV Park in Albuquerque.  On Saturday we explored Albuquerque including the Petroglyph National Monument, Old Town and Nob Hill. 

The Petroglyphs were very interesting.  We were sure one glyph depicted an alien spaceship.  Old Town was wonderful with great art galleries displaying Navajo, Zuni and Hopi art, jewelry, pottery and rugs.  In the plaza we watched as workers assembled a Christmas tree from pieces and parts of real trees.  We aren't quite sure how green the tree was going to be after 40 days in the high desert.

The Nob Hill neighborhood includes a very funky/groovy slice of Route 66 Americana with unusual shops, tattoo parlors and drinking establishments - for folks wanting 'to get their kicks on Route 66'. 

The next day we pushed on to Elephant Butte, just north of Truth or Consequences.  Yes, as a matter of fact, the town is named after the game show.  In 1950, the good people of Hot Springs, NM voted to change the name of their town to Truth or Consequences as part of a 10 year anniversary celebration of the show, thereby gaining nationwide publicity for the small spa town.

Elephant Butte is located near the Rio Grande River reservoir of the same name.  The afternoon of our arrival we went for a long walk along the reservoir and back across the desert to the town.  It was a perfect afternoon and the long shadows on the craggy desert mountains were beautiful.  After our walk we went out to dinner in Truth or Consequences to celebrate Susan's birthday.  While dinner and the service was somewhat disappointing it was better than her infamous birthday celebration in a Paso Robles Chez Wal-Mart parking lot.

The following day we drove north to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.  This place was awesome.  We watched as snow geese returned to their evening nesting grounds.  There were so many it looked like white rivers in the sky.  At dusk we watched numerous sandhill cranes gather for the night in the safety of the marshlands.  We highly recommend a visit to this spectacular refuge, preferably during the late fall and winter migration season. 

The next day we hit the road for a one-night stay in Deming, NM then finally Far Horizon Village in Tucson.  We have been moving fairly frequently for six months, and too frequently since we left Vermont.  We are looking forward to settling in for six weeks or more, catching up on tasks (like the website) and drastically reducing our diesel consumption. 

Well, got to go feather the nest…