Adventures in New Mexico

We usually stay at the Escapees Dreamcatcher RV Park when we're in Deming. This time I chose a place called Hidden Valley Ranch (honest). The directions were a little iffy and included a 5.5 mile stretch of gravel road. Well, we drove 5.5 miles and there was nothing there. We continued on, Herb glancing at me with a disgusted look every so often. Eventually we drove around a small hill, and there it was. The office was closed. A lady in the clubhouse showed us how to register and gave us a map of the park. We chose a long pull-through site facing the desert. There were Gambrel's quail everywhere, charging frantically in all directions. A roadrunner walked right up to me--of course I didn't have my camera on me. This particular roadrunner, according to locals, has a nest with two young'uns in an overgrown yucca. There were lots of jackrabbits as well.

Trouble started when we attempted to put the slide out without unlocking the awning. The awning pulled loose from the side of the coach. Now there's some good news. Herb spent the next few hours fastening it back. We've bent part of the hardware as well.

It was quite cool with a brisk wind. The campground is at 4000 feet plus elevation. Someone from the office came by to welcome us, giving me a code for their satellite-based wi-fi and a map of the many ATV trails around the park. We learned there are petroglyphs and mines.

We enjoyed an evening of watching TV and the wildlife. The park is quiet, except for chattering birds!

In the morning we found the slide would not come in properly unless Herb got up on a ladder to push it. Oh, joy. But the morning was beautiful.

Herb worked for a good while with the awning and slide to secure them for travel. As the late Gilda Radner said, "It's always something."

I was sad to have missed getting a picture of the friendly roadrunner. She didn't emerge from her yucca tree at all, at least while I was watching.

We headed back across the dusty gravel road and were soon on the way towards Las Cruces.
As we stopped at a rest area just west of the city, I found a roadrunner I could photograph!

Where We've Been

You'll notice the little map to the left--it shows all the states in which we've camped so far. We have a map like this in the coach with stick-on states to add when we camp in another state. As you can see, we've more to see. If our trip to Kentucky goes as planned, we'll add at least one more state.

If you'd like to create a map to share in e-mail, print, or add to a blog or webpage, go to http://www.epgsoft.com/VisitedStatesMap/ and follow the steps. When the map is created, right-click on it and choose "save as." I added it to my photos then uploaded it to my blog. There's probably an easier way. As I've said before, I'm not inept with a computer but just barely ept!

A Trip to the Big House

I'm thinking Casa Grande means big house, so that's where we are. I'm learning about Google Earth. Here's what the campground looks like. We're in the lower left part, about the second row down. We're staying for two nights after a stressful day. We spent $2500 on five new tires for the coach then enjoyed rush hour in Phoenix. It's great fun to drive through heavy city traffic in a 38-foot motorhome towing a pickup truck loaded with an ATV. Trust me on this.

Jane's Ride

You've seen Herb's ATV. So do you think I'm jealous? Not when my employer at Black Rock provides a T-Bird. And here it is! Now don't laugh--the emblem on the front says, "Tee Bird." It's not much for speed and I've had to be pushed back to the office on one occasion. I've asked the boss to have it souped up, but he's seen me drive and is petrified at the thought of damage I could do at greater than 5 mph. Oh, well.

Where There's a Will...

Herb is determined to take his ATV on the road. He planned and put together a way to do that, and yesterday he tested out the plan, easily driving right up into the pickup bed while the neighbors watched in amazement! With the help and advice of our neighbors, Ron Brown and Bob Scott, he was able to secure it in place. He's looking forward to exploring new trails in Kentucky this summer, sharing adventures with his friend Curtis Smith in Harlan County, and other adventures yet to be imagined. He's gonna ride!

Time to Say Goodbye

Some of you who reside in the cold country may have a difficult time identifying, but this winter was over before we knew it! Yesterday we assembled on our site for a goodbye party. I fixed some salads and Herb presided at the grill, producing hot dogs, brats and metts almost as fast as the folks wanted them! Some of the westerners had no clue about brats and metts; one thought metts were named after the baseball team.

Our bosses, Sandy and Harlan were there; Harlan, as usual, continues to refer to me as Shorty (can't imagine why). Sandy, the best boss anyone could have, brought my favorite cookies. Chris, who also works in the office, brought a delicious crabmeat salad, and Bob, her husband, brought his great sense of humor. Linda Brown brought three homebaked pies which were the hit of the evening: Apple, French silk and black bottom. She cut them, too, knowing I'd massacre them if I did it. Her husband, Ron Brown, showed his Texas colors. It was fun calling him on the radio for propane and having him answer, "What can Brown do for you?" Anna Mae, our postmistress, brought homebaked cookies and her sweet self, and Perry brought his appetite! Deloris remembered to call me Jane instead of Sue for a change. Betty, our hostess for excellent cookouts all winter, brought some smoky sausages. Donna made rice and beans which were soon devoured and a tale of a naked man in the desert. There's actually a nudist colony not far from here. Her husband Bill is still remonstrating with Herb; Herb loaned his ATV to them to try out early in the season. They had barely made it out the back gate when Donna announced she had to have one. They now have a side-by-side ATV and have enjoyed many rides with Herb, the "trail boss."

It was so sad that Kelly could not be with us. She's got a terrible cold and didn't want to spread it--but helped us out with chips, plates, glasses, and the loan of a crock-pot (mine bit the dust over St. Patrick's Day). Her husband Bob regaled us with his adventures as a traffic-reporting airplane pilot in Phoenix. He once reported on the air, intending to say he was taking a peek over east Phoenix, accidentally substituting "leak!" After that, the station kept asking him just where he was, as people were concerned!

Bob and Kelly had loaned us their outdoor fireplace. As the sun went down and it cooled off, everyone gathered around it, continuing to visit and watch the stars.

It was a great way to end our winter at Black Rock, a place where we feel very much at home.

Black Rock Beauty and the Beast

After a busy morning at work, my neighbor insisted I come with her to see a cactus in bloom. Well, I've seen cacti in bloom--lots of them. But I didn't expect this! I've no idea what sort of cactus this is. The blooms appear in the night, last through the day, and disappear by the next morning. The folks who live in the campsite where this cactus is growing were most patient with "tourists" snapping lots of pictures, although Toby, their Welsh Corgi, wasn't nearly so cordial! There's another such cactus in another area of the park with blooms in white with a peach tinge. Unfortunately those blooms were gone by the time I knew of them.

Then today, Chuck showed up. We believe he's a chuckwalla, although he doesn't look exactly like the one in Kelly's book. He likes romaine lettuce a lot but won't eat the white center part. He hung around for a good while, studying us carefully and waiting for more romaine. We were able to approach for close-ups so long as we kept furnishing the romaine I was saving for a salad! I'm almost certain that didn't matter to him.

By the way, I'm not the one who christened him, although the name just flows, doesn't it?