FROM A FREEZING 32F THIS MORNING IN NEW MEXICO TO A SWELTERING 81F THIS AFTERNOON IN ARIZONA:))

FROST ON THE JEEP’S WINDSHIELD AND FROM A FREEZING 32F THIS MORNING WE HEADED FURTHER WEST TO A SWELTERING 81F THIS AFTERNOON
After double checking the areas weather again this morning in Truth Or Consequences New Mexico we made a snap decision to change our plans and make some fast tracks further west into Arizona.  On Thursday we had planned to do laundry and take a drive over to Elephant Butte State Park to see if we could locate RV SUE AND HER CANINE CREW as well as another couple she knows there.  Friday we had planned to head up into the Silver City area to Glenwood and do the ‘Catwalk’ that John and Judy at RV LIFE ON WHEELS had done last week.  With the incoming storm front packing possibly heavy rains we just did not feel like sitting here in this areas colder temperatures for the next 3 or 4 days with a poor Verizon connection, no cell phone and few TV channels.  We also received an email that required attention so needed a strong Skype connection.  Our plans are to slide back this way on our return journey later this winter and do the Glenwood area and some other New Mexico spots then.  Just gotta love New Mexico:))

WE QUIETLY TIPPY TOED THROUGH DOWNTOWN TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES EARLY THIS MORNING
Due to our poor Verizon connection in T or C I have not been able to access photos in some blogs or leave comments in others. My ‘Shout Box’ and ‘Blog Followers’ list wouldn’t open either. Fell asleep waiting for my blog to publish Wednesday night so it may have taken nearly an hour or maybe more.

THIS ONE PHOTO ABOUT SUMS UP THE CHILI PEPPER NEW MEXICO TOWN OF HATCH
I had unhooked the Jeep Wednesday night in preparation for our stay in Truth or Consequences but first thing this morning at 32F I scraped the ice off the Jeep’s windshield and hooked it back up to the Motor Home.  Total distance driving the Jeep while unhooked…oh maybe 30 feet!!  We were back on the road by 7:20 heading for that big old Arizony State and the Sonoran Desert.  I programed Tucson into my computer head, pulled my hat down, fixed me a stare on the western horizon, wiggled my ears, twitched my nose and we were off. Oh, how we are looking forward to warmer temps and big Saguaro Cactus again:))))))))

NOW, THAT IS A LOT OF SOLAR POWER
Ok, before I go any further, here’s something I messed up in Tuesday’s blog.  I mentioned about a self guided audio Auto Tour at Valley Of Fires.  That is incorrect!!  I got the Auto Tour mixed up with the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.  No driving tours over the Lava Flow!!  I have since made the correction in Tuesday’s post.
I THINK SOMEBODY HAS A ‘MAD ON’

Once again a beautiful clear morning for driving.  Heading south on I-25 the surrounding distant mountains looked majestic wrapped in their early morning blue gray haze.  Took the shortcut to Deming through Hatch and rolled through there at 8:10.  A distant wave and hello to fellow RV Blogger BOONIE somewhere in the desert south of Hatch.  We met Boonie up in Silver City one time.

THE TEXAS CANYON REST AREA ON I-10 JUST EAST OF BENSON ARIZONA
About 25 minutes later I recognized a familiar mountain ridge looming out of the desert floor on the southwestern horizon.  It was the razor backed ridge of the Little Florida Mountains.  I knew Deming was just to the northwest of them and by 9 we were in downtown Deming itself.

LOOKING WEST ALONG I-10 IN THE DIRECTION OF BENSON
An hour later we were westbound out of Deming with a full fuel tank, full propane tank and 4 full tummy tanks.  I was able to share a couple McDonald’s Burritos with the Kids:))  Looked southward as we left Deming to see another favorite set of mountains.  The 3 Sisters just north of Columbus were still there so all was still right with the world.

Two heads are better than one and not long after leaving Deming we had another example of that again.  First, let me say, just as I always have….I believe women are far smarter than men…period!! At normal highway speed our rig’s tachometer usually runs about 2100 rpms.  I noticed after awhile we were running at 32 and 3300 rpms and the rig didn’t seem to want to shift into it’s final gear.  I spent a fair bit of time thinking about this, slowing down, speeding up, shifting gears and just basically grumbling to myself with all kinds of worse case scenarios.  Finally mentioned it to Kelly who took all of 3 seconds to diagnose the problem.  She said, “is that overdrive switch in the right place?”  BINGO!!  Seems a little Pheebs nose, paw or happily wagging Bum had clipped that switch which is low on the dash.  I flicked the overdrive switch back to where it should be and the rig immediately shifted into it’s normal drive mode and the revs dropped back down to 2100.  Let me tell you folks, I happen to know a few things about the fair opposite sex and when I tell you they have it all over us guys I know what I am talking about.  Trust me:))

THESE TWO LITTLE DOGGY BUMS ARE FOCUSED ON MY TURKEY SANDWICH WHICH JUST CAME UP FROM THE RIG’S GALLEY
East of Lordsburg I began scanning the mountain ranges to the south because we were approaching some very familiar territory and it wasn’t long before I spotted the long hulking grey shape of the mighty Chiricahua Mountains towering higher than the closer Peloncillo Mountains.

A big wave to John and Judy at RV LIFE ON WHEELS who we knew were just down the Animas Valley at RUSTY'S RV RANCH near Portal Arizona.  Crossed the Arizona State line 5 minutes later.  If any of you folks have not been to the Portal Arizona area, mark it down in your travel plans because you are going to want to go there.  Type Portal or Paradise or even John McAfee into our ‘Search’ bar.

As we headed west on I-10 between Wilcox and Benson Arizona my head was awhirl with countless great memories from our time spent here in the Sulphur Springs Valley between the Chiricahua and Dragoon Mountain ranges.  There was Bowie peak which brought back our hike to Fort Bowie a couple years ago.  Remember to type these places into our Search bar.  The twin peaks of Dos Cabezas brought more memories.  Passed the Cochise Stronghold exit at 12:20 p.m.  Caught a distant glimpse of the Swiss Helm Mountains and the memories in my head just rolled on and on.  Tombstone, Elfrida, The Ranch, Sierra Vista, Douglas, Paws and Hooves, Pearce, Grapevine Canyon Ranch, the Lazy W Ranch, Bisbee, Rucker Canyon and on and on and on.  I am already looking forward to getting back to this whole area later this winter.  The very area that has been so good to us these past 3 years and an area I definitely consider our second home.

KELLY AND THE MOTORMOUSE ARE DWARFED BY THE HUGE ROCKS AT THE TEX CANYON REST AREA
A big Hi-Ho Silver wave to JERRY AND SUZY as we rolled past Benson Arizona at 1 o’clock.  See you guys later this winter:))  Noticed the traffic really picked up at Benson and was steady all the way to Tucson.

PICKING OUR WAY WEST ON THE AJO WAY IN SOUTHWESTERN ARIZONA
There is a stretch of I-10 where we always closely watch for our first Saguaro Cactus every time.  Watch for the small sign that says Davidson Canyon and look immediately down to your right.  Saguaros:))  Yaaaay, we are in the Sonoran desert once again.

PHEEBS KICKS UP DUST AS SHE RACES FOR THE MOTOR HOME AFTER KELLY CALLED HER FOR SUPPER…WEST OF TUCSON ARIZONA NEAR THE AJO WAY
It’s the day before Thanksgiving and one of the heaviest traffic days of the year so I wasn’t wasting any time as I swung the rig off I-10 onto the Ajo Way.  Traffic was heavy stop and go from traffic light to traffic light with a couple jamming stops for amber lights which re-arranged some furniture for us.  But, it wasn’t long and we were free of the City’s grip and out onto the desert floor.

SUDDEN STOPS HAVE A WAY OF RE-ORGANIZING THINGS IN RV VEHICLES
A few years ago we had spotted a boon docking area on the northeast corner of Ajo Way and San Joaquin road so that is where we headed and that is where we are right now nestled up against a large rock face with the whole city of Tucson just on the other side.  It’s 81F and we are just a cookin.  Didn’t take me long to haul off my too warm T-shirt and get myself into a light cooling shirt.  Looking forward to the cooler desert nights.  Yep, we are finally in nice warm air and that’s a big 10-4:))  In the morning we will be on the road again for another hundred miles and tomorrow night we’ll be all set up in one of our all time favorite boon docking areas. But, if there is poor or no Verizon service there we will have to move on.  It is imperative that Kelly has a good Verizon and cell phone connection for her Deer Park Lodge work.

WE ARE ALL SNUGLY TUCKED AWAY FOR THE NIGHT UNDER WARM ARIZONA SKY’S
While typing this tonight I suddenly remembered something.  We have 4 boxes of Shreddies cereal packed away for an RV couple camp hosting at the Kartchner Caverns.  We totally forgot to drop those off today and blew right by that exit back in Benson.  I hope those folks can hold out until we get back in the area later.

THIS IS A 300mm SHOT OF KITT PEAK ABOUT 45 MILES AWAY FROM WHERE WE ARE BOON DOCKED…YOU CAN SEE A COUPLE OF THE OBSERVATORIES JUST LEFT OF CENTER…I SPENT A COUPLE HOURS UP THERE 4 YEARS AGO AND REMEMBER TOURING THE TALLER ONE VISIBLE IN THE PHOTO…IF I WOULD HAVE HAD A STRONGER VERIZON SIGNAL TONIGHT I WOULD HAVE INCLUDED THE LINKS
GROANER’S CORNER:((     A professor was walking along a very narrow hall when he came face to face with a rival.
The passage way was too narrow for two to pass. The rival, pulling himself up to his full height, said with a sneer, "I never make way for fools!"  Smiling, the gracious professor stepped aside and with a bow replied, "I always do."
---------------------------------------------------------------Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

A GOOD FLUSH, A GOOD BURG, LOTS OF BIRDS, AND WILL IT BE TRUTH OR WILL IT BE CONSEQUENCES:))

HERE’S THE GUYS CHECKING OUT ALL THE SAND HILL CRANES AT BOSQUE del APACHE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE TODAY
I don’t know how Pheebs does it but last night she somehow quietly sneaked up onto my narrow bed and without disturbing me snuggled up with her head on my pillow.  She is just the bestest dog:))   

A RAIN CLOUD MOVING ACROSS THE DESERT FLOOR MONDAY
After Monday’s blustery weather it was sure nice to see the sun climb into a clear blue cloudless sky this morning.  Didn’t spend a lot of time on the Shaw Direct satellite system because I didn’t want to start the day off on the wrong foot.  We’ll try again later but we did find out last night that the cable going into one of 4 locations on the LMB was plugged into the wrong port .

VALLEY OF FIRES RAIN STORM COMING THROUGH
It was time to dump tanks this morning before leaving Valley Of Fires and after last week’s black tank fiasco I must admit I was feeling like a very nervous skydiver sitting at the open door of a plane waiting to jump.  A skydiver might be trying to convince himself to ‘jump, jump, jump.’  I was trying to convince myself to, ‘pull the lever, pull the lever, pull the lever.’  I had checked the hose connection carefully this time, checked it twice and triple checked it about 76 dozen times.  Pulled the gray tank lever first just to get a good burst into the hose to see if it would hold.  It did.  Was wishing I was wearing a Haz-Mat (hazard materials) suit but….here goes,  ‘JUMP!!’  Ka-Whoooooosh, away went the soup into the Rhino soup tube and right on down into the big soup tank in the ground.  A successful mission.  Conclusion…My black tank crash last week resulted from pilot error and not from an equipment failure…….10-4:))

OK, HERE GOES……KA-WHOOOOOOOSH
I managed to get myself a little smarter this time by dumping the tanks before having a shower and not after:))  It was soooo great having a long hot shower in an area larger than a small clothes closet.  Enough room in the shower stall for half a dozen people but I was quite happy to be all myself.  And a nice clean and heated washroom too with enough space for a game of floor hockey…now how nice is that.

BOSQUE del APACHE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
And, a few parting thoughts about Valley Of Fires.  Would highly recommend this place.  RV sites are scenic and spacious with water and electricity available on many sites.  Modern washrooms, dump station and a staffed Visitor’s center.  And yes there is a looping turn around road at the south end of the Park but if you have to dump tanks do it on the way in if you can and that will save you having to get your rig turned around to line up with the dump station.  The Lava Flow walk is well worth it.  Take your time, read the reader boards and don’t forget to take a brochure with you to read the numbered viewing sites.  It’s a loop walk so do it from left to right to keep your numbers in sequence.

We rolled out of Valley Of Fires and headed west on highway 380 with just a beautiful looking New Mexico morning going on.  Rolling hills spotted with Juniper trees passed by as we made our way over hill and dale heading for the little town of San Antonio.  It was a great morning as the horses in our Damon Workhorse Motor Home pulled a little extra hard getting us up and over a few grades.  At 10:20 we crossed the Rio Grand and minutes later we were seated in the Owl Bar and Café.  We had read somewhere about the hamburgers served here so we popped in and had us a couple home made burgs.  And, as advertised, they were yummy.

 
WAITING FOR OUR BURGS AND CAN YOU SPOT THE YELLOW ‘BAYFIELD BUNCH’ CARD PINNED TO THE WALL JUST ABOVE THE STARS IN THE AMERICAN FLAG
San Antonio is one of those dusty little western towns and consists of one intersection and maybe a couple dozen buildings.  We slipped south through the intersection and headed 9 miles on a narrow road to the BOSQUE del APACHE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.  Stopped into the visitor center first to make sure a Motor Home our size would be able to do the 12 mile Refuge tour.   Yep said the guy, no problem.

 

Twenty minutes later Kelly showed her ‘America The Beautiful’ card at the pay booth and saved us $5.  Spent the next hour driving slowly along the dirt roads throughout the Refuge.  There’s quite an extensive irrigation system flowering throughout the Park feeding the many ponds and small lakes.  Forests of Golden Cottonwood trees create a natural habitat for the many forms of bird life we saw.  Sand Hill Cranes were in abundance as were thousands of white Geese.  We even came across a small herd of Javelinas (wild pigs) making their way across a field through a flock of Sand Hill Cranes.  It is these Javelina’s here in the southwest that we fear the most because they can easily kill a dog.  We didn’t have to worry as much last year because Max and Checkers were too old and well beyond chasing Javelinas.  But, fireball Pheebs would be right after them.  Yes, it is a big worry for us.
     
We would definitely recommend the Bosque del Apache to anyone with an interest in wildlife and birds.  This is a big Refuge and I noticed in the Visitor’s Center they had a poster up looking for help.  We noticed well over a dozen RV’s parked close together behind the Visitor’s Center and wondered if maybe they were all volunteer workers.
  

SAND HILL CRANES
From the National Wildlife Refuge we headed back through San Antonio, picked up I-25 heading south and put the hammer down for another familiar place of ours….Truth Or Consequences. 

SOUTHBOUND ON I-25 FOR TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES
We did an overnighter here last year on our way to the ranch and in March of 08 we spent nearly a week here.  First stop was Wal-Mart for groceries and then it was off to the quiet little Elephant Butt Recreation Damn Site.  This is a quiet out of the way little place right on the banks of the Rio Grande River.  Tucked away in a tiny valley below the damn it has maybe a dozen or more Casitas to park beside.  An old fish hatchery sits at the end of the road and there are many birds in the trees along the river.  Just another one of those quiet little spots the Bayfield Bunch loves so much.

We have 4 antennae TV channels and we do have a spotty Verizon connection.  This blog may publish or it may not.  Right now we are keeping a very close eye on the weather because it looks like some major rain may be headed our way over the next couple days.  We may roll right on out of here or we may hang in for a day or two.

RV LIFESTYLE AS FULL TIMERS have joined the ‘Bunch’ as our latest Blog Followers. Welcome, and nice to have you along folks.

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A friend hosted a dinner party for people from work and everyone was encouraged to bring their children.
All during the sit-down dinner one co-worker's three-year-old girl stared at the man sitting across from her.
The man tried his best to just ignore her, but finally it was too much for him. He asked her ,"Why are you staring at me?"
Everyone at the table had noticed her behavior and the table went quiet for her response.
The little girl said, "I just want to see how you drink like a fish!"
---------------------------------------------------------------Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

THUNDER, LIGHTNING AND RAIN IN THE DESERT

THE LAVA FLOWS ARE RIPE WITH COLOR

From our higher vantage point here at Valley Of Fires we were able to see the lights of Carrizozo last night shimmering in the night 4 miles to our east. Reminded me of the time a few years ago when we boon docked in the Tombstone hills west of Tombstone Arizona. The lights of Sierra Vista west of us looked like a long narrow string of pearls stretching across the desert floor at the base of the looming Huachuca Mountains.

Atop the rocky hill beside us are a couple reader boards explaining the surrounding landscape including Carrizozo which lies between the black lava flow and the distant mountain range in the photo below.

 

 

MODERN WARM AND SPACIOUS WASHROOMS COMPLETE WITH HOT SHOWERS…KELLY IS FILLING OUT THE REGISTRATION FORM FOR OUR TWO NIGHTS HERE 

Looks like I got something screwed up again. Kelly informs me that it is Glenwood New Mexico where the communication black hole exists and not here at Valley Of Fires near Carrizozo. Oh what would I do if it wasn’t for folks keeping me on the straight and narrow.

Noticed today we have 4 new Blog Followers.  We welcome Cathie, Penny and CJ, Dean, and HAPPY TRAILS to our travels. Thanks for dropping by folks and welcome aboard.

THE WHOLE TWO THIRDS OF A MILE LAVA FLOW WALK IS WHEELCHAIR AND SCOOTER ACCESSIBLE

We didn’t get too far on our walk this morning before Pheebs had a ‘pricker’ in her right paw.  We couldn’t locate it right away so headed a short distance back to the rig.  Try as we did we could not locate it but Pheebs was later able to get it out herself.

They have an excellent interpretive paved and wheelchair accessible trail that runs in a winding loop through the great lava field for two thirds of a mile.  The lava field stretches for as far as the eye can see to the northern horizon from whence it originally came.  At first glance from a distance it may not look too interesting but once afoot out onto the field itself a whole new ecological world of living wonderment opens up.  Kelly and I spent about an hour meandering along the trail. 

Plant life flourishes here.  Owls and bats live in the lava flows as do Lizards, Tarantula spiders and Rattlesnakes.  Coyotes, Mule Deer, Kit Foxes and Bobcats roam the rugged terrain along with a variety of flying creatures such as Warblers, Jays, Vireos, Shrikes and Great Horned Owls.  These lava flows are a fascinating place to see and off trail hiking is allowed. 

And despite the ‘old’ brochure telling you that only part of the trail is paved I am here to tell you that it is all paved now from start to finish and can easily accommodate wheelchairs or Scooters.  If you look at the photos you can see the trail even has safety curbs.

Once again I have too many photos of the Lava Flow walk this morning to put into the blog so I have created a photo album which you can see at VALLEY OF FIRES LAVA WALK.

Our briefly sunny sky this morning soon clouded over and the sky darkened.  Had a small rain shower quickly move through and figured that was it.  I had no more than got our satellite dish parts out of the Jeep when a fast moving desert thunder storm swept down upon us.  This one came complete with thunder lighting, heavy wind gusts and rain.  Pheebs and I beat a hasty retreat inside the Motor Home and sat out the storm.  It was the first thunder and lightning we Snow Birds had experienced in the Southwest.  The thunder didn’t bother the Pheebs but as usual it sure scared the holy Ba-Jeebers out of the Motormouse.

WATCHING THE STORM ROLL IN ON US THIS AFTERNOON 

The storm cleared for awhile and gave us time to set up our satellite dish and tripod.  I’ll just keep this short and say that after a couple of hours of total frustration we gave up!!  We’ll try our luck again in the morning.

We will probably roll out of Valley Of Fires Tuesday but haven’t decided where we will head for next.  Our travel plans are made of Jello and we both like it that way:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((   Late one night in Washington,D.C., a mugger jumped into the path of a well-dressed man and stuck a gun in his ribs.
"Give me your money," he demanded.
Indignant, the affluent man replied, "You can't do this - I'm a U.S. Congressman!"
"In that case," replied the robber, "give me MY money!"

---------------------------------------------------------------Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL