Saturday, October 31, 2009

THE BAYFIELD BUNCH BRIEFLY RETURNS TO COLUMBUS, NEW MEXICO…….’SI SENOR’

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BOOT HILL RV PARK WITH MOUNT SIERRA BLANCA IN BACKGROUND

(Click any photo to enlarge)

Kelly's Ontario body clock told her last night it was 10 o’clock so she headed for bed at 8.  Or, was it nine.  She was back up at 3 thinking it was 5.  I went to bed at 11 thinking it was 7 & was back up at 2 to shut the computer off because I had fallen asleep waiting for the blog to upload.  I was back up at 3:30 because Kelly was up at 3.....or was it 5 Ontario time.    We have passed through 2 time zones & one Texas time warp so far & our internal clocks are in turmoil.  To-night, or was it last night the clocks are turned back but to-morrow we'll be in Arizona where time never changes anyway so we haven't a clue if we’ll be on time, in time, or overtime for anything.  By the time we get up it might be time to go to bed again.   Right now I think it's 5 p.m. New Mexico time, or was it really 7 o’clock Arkansas time.  Well, whatever it is I’m sure it will be subject to change of course!!  About time I moved on to something else I’d say…………………………….

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I TOT I TAW A PUDDY TAT!!

Neither one of us had enough energy to climb out our pajamas this morning until nearly 9 a.m.  And even then it was struggle as we puttered around in slow motion.  Finally got things organized enough to get the big wheels rolling again about 11:20.  Stopped at the office & signed up for a Passport America membership.  Geeeeez, could it be I'm coming down with a bad case of RV Parkitus!!  The nice Boot Hill folks gave us the Passport rate for our stay & less than 6 hours later we would use it again for additional mega savings....more about that later.

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DON’T HAVE A DINETTE SO WE EAT ANYWHERE WE CAN

Should mention that we had a great Verizon connection at Boot Hill & were able to get 4 channels with the rigs TV antennae.  Directly across from Boot Hill is McGinn's Pistachio Tree Ranch so when your cruising along number 70 just look for the huge Pistachio out front on the west side of the road.  Your Boot Hill turn off is across from the big Pistachio:))

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THE BIG PISTACHIO ACROSS FROM THE BOOT HILL RV PARK

WE WERE A TIRED BUNCH THIS MORNING OVER THE TOP IN SAN AUGUSTIN PASS KELLY TRIES OUT THE COLEMAN STOVE FOR THE FIRST TIME
HOLDING ON WITH BOTH HANDS DESCENDING INTO LAS CRUCES RUDE CAR BLOCKS THE GAS PUMPS NEARING THE TOP OF SAN AUGUSTIN PASS
K-MART PIT STOP IN DEMMING NM IT'S A LONG GRADE UP 'BEST RV PARK COLUMBUS NEW MEXICO

(HOVER YOUR MOUSE OVER ABOVE PHOTOS FOR CAPTIONS & CLICK TO ENLARGE)

We slipped around busy Alamogordo on the by-pass & headed southwest past White Sands National Monument.  We were there last year so have a look at our photos at  WHITE SANDS.  Between Alamogordo & Las Cruces just south west of White Sands lies the jagged peaked San Adreas mountain range.  Highway 70 runs up & over the mountains through the San Augustin pass & it's a long haul of a grade to reach the peak.  Luckily it's two & 3 lanes.  By the time we crested the peak we were down to 35 mph with Kelly out behind pushing.  The descent on the west side is steep so we had to deploy the drag shute to slow our descent into Las Cruces:))

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DESCENDING INTO LAS CRUCES NEW MEXICO

It's pretty straight forward rolling through Las Cruces, just pay attention to the road signs, swear at the appropriate times, & keep your foot on the gas.  By 2:30 we were.....or was it 3:30 we were rolling into Deming New Mexico for a fuel stop ($2.89 a gallon) & Wal-Mart groceries.   Parking lot was really jammed up with big 18 wheeler rigs so had to park next door at K-Mart.  Parking lot there was so empty you could have landed a Jumbo Jet sideways..........twice!!

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THESE ARE SOME OF THE GREAT BOOKS WE USE IN OUR TRAVELS

Decided at this point to head down to Columbus New Mexico near the Mexican border.  We have fond memories of our previous 2 times there 3 years ago.  That is where we both got to sit on Santa's knee on Christmas Day 2006.  We also had some dental work done & eye glasses made over the border in Palomas.  And, of course we totally loved the Pink Store.  I blogged & included photos of our time at the PINK STORE just this past April 26th & for the day we got to sit on Santa’s knee just click HERE:))

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FULL HOOK-UPS FOR $7 AT ‘BEST RV PARK’ IN COLUMBUS NEW MEXICO

Had originally planned to boondock near the train station museum but Kelly noticed in our new Passport America book that there was an RV Park affiliate right here in Columbus.  So, because we now have joined PM the site would be half price.  And half price it was at $7 with full hook-ups.  I remember driving through this park 3 years ago & I wasn’t too impressed but there has been a big change.  I seem to recall old trailers before but they are gone now.  It was a tired old park but the tired has been replaced with new energy & this park has really been cleaned up.  Young pine trees have been planted with attention paid to watering.   They have 55 RV sites & the park is large enough to accomodate any rig.  Big turn around area.  14 full hook-up pull through sites, 41 water/sewer sites ,& 30 amp electric.  Excellent Verizon coverage here though & we can get  about 14 clear television channels with the rigs antennae & about half of them are in English.   Free Wifi as well plus showers & laundry.  Something tells me we are going to have a rooster getting us up early to-morrow morning or maybe, just maybe, it will be us getting up that rooster.  Now, let me see..........what time is it anyway!!

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“BOO!!”        “TRICK OR TREAT:))”

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Old people shouldn't eat health foods. They need all the preservatives they can get!!

FACEBOOK READERS GO HERE TO SEE OUR ACTUAL WEBSITE COMPLETE WITH PHOTOS & MORE INFO.  BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

BROWNFIELD TEXAS-THROUGH THE APACHE PASS-TO TULAROSA NEW MEXICO

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A BIT OF SNOW IN THE APACHE PASS

It was the coldest night of our trip so far & we realized that when we couldn't wind our TV antennae all the way down this morning because of ice on the moving parts.  Told Kelly a hammer would make short work of that ice & she told me waiting half an hour for the sun to melt the ice would work batter.  We waited for the sun!!  Heavy frost on the cars windshield & I'm surprised our outside water hose didn't freeze up.  It was 8:20 when we waved good-bye to Brownfield Texas & headed west to-wards the mountains of New Mexico.

IMG_0973 OH OH….DID WE BREAK A WINDOW……NO, ICE OFF THE AWNING FROST ON THE WINDSHIELD THIS MORNINGIMG_0974  
IMG_0975FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE MOUNTAINS IMG_0998  
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It was 10:30 about 45 miles east of Roswell when I first caught sight of the mountains.  Came around a slight curve on the highway, over a rise, & there nearly a hundred miles away, low on the horizon barely visible, a dark object.  To the left of the highway many miles further south another peaked object but light colored.  Snow on Sierra Blanca mountain.  All the way to Roswell I watched these two mountains slowly growing.  The high snow covered peak of Sierra Blanca had a slight cream color & appeared as it would in a fairy tale painting.

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IT WAS IN THIS DIRECTION THAT THE ‘ROSWELL UFO INCIDENT’ HAPPENED!!

We had decided earlier not to stop in Roswell so at 11:30 we rolled right through town & out the other side steadily climbing into the foothills of the Sacramento mountain range.  It was a beautiful sunny day so we knew the roads would be clear in the mountains.  A scenic four lane highway led us through Ruidoso & into the Apache Pass.  We had been expecting to see snow piled high alongside the roads but there was barely an inch on the ground & it was melting fast.  This is probably the most we will see of winter this year & it was really pretty to spend the 20 minutes it took to drive through it.  Now that's the kind of winter I don't mind. 

The descent from the 7500 foot Apache Pass peak is a gentle glide to the Tularosa Valley floor below.  As we rounded a bend I could see the Oregon Mountain range in the far distant haze with the the white sands of Alamogordo stretching out before them in a long thin band from north to south.  This marked the true beginning of our return to the American southwest & I felt like we had finally reached our second home at last.  With the crossing of this mountain range comes the notable change in landscape, flora & fauna & by the time we reached the valley floor we were seeing agave, yucca, prickly pear cacti. trees, mountain ranges, & desert.  A total change from the past 3 days crossing the great barren flat plains of the American west.

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IT’S JIM FROM THE BOOT HILL RV PARK IN TULAROSA, NEW MEXICO

We had friends waiting for us in Tularosa.  Two years ago we met another RV couple at the HICKIWAN TRAILS RV PARK in Why, Arizona.  We have kept in touch via email & when John & Pat Mattoon knew we were headed their way they invited us out for supper.  The highway from Tularosa to Alamogordo runs about a quarter mile from their house & on that corner is large new RV Park which John helped the new owners to build. He had pre-arranged a site for us there close to the dog run.  We rolled into the BOOT HILL RV PARK  about 2 p.m. & met owners Cindy & Jim Livers.  This is one mighty nice park they have here & I will post a photo album of the park shortly.  Just not enough energy left to do it to-night. 

Jim led us to our easy pull through site & it wasn't long & I was headed for the camps showers while Kelly took the furry guys over to the spacious dog walking area.  The 2 shower rooms were a surprise because they were large & complete with toilet & sink.  And, lots of hooks to hang things on.  Everything was spotless & new.  The shower stall had a fold down seat as well.  Didn't take me long to have that boiling water just bubbling out of that shower head.  I had it so hot in there it peeled the paint of the walls & it took me over half an hour to find my clothes in the heavy pea souper of a steamy fog.  Yep, I was needin a good long hot shower fix real bad!!

Later took myself for a walk around the Park taking photos.  These folks have sure put a lot of work into this park & I would recommend it as fine stop if your ever traveling through this area.  The word 'quality' comes to mind here. 

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SIERRA BLANCA MOUNTAIN AS SEEN FROM THE RV PARK (with a telephoto lens:)

Our friends John & Pat just live around the corner so Kelly & I walked over to their place about 3:30 to meet them & their daughter Kelly.  Kelly is an artsy person & has used some of my photos in her artwork.  Two of them were hanging in the gift shop of the main RV park lobby.  Kelly takes the photos, has them printed in black & white & then paints them.  She does a terrific job & it's nice to know that I am a small part of the finished product.  I don't have a real good track record for doing things right but every once in awhile it's nice to see something I've done giving inspiration to someone else.  Had ourselves a visit & then everybody piled into Kelly's car & John drove us to Margo's Mexican restaurant in Alamogordo.  As most of you know I am not an adventurous eater so it took me awhile to scan the menu for familiar words.  Finally, after what seemed an eternity I found a 'gravy' word, then 'chicken steak.'  And what really excited me were the words 'Texas toast.'  When the waitress uttered the magic words, 'French fries' I knew I was home.  I don't know what all the other guys ate but it was kinda orange, yellow, green & soupy looking.  I'm sure they were all envious of my Texas toast & fries but it was too late for them......I wasn't sharing!!!!

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KELLY, KELLY, PAT & JOHN

We were back to our rig for good-byes around 6 p.m. & John hung around for a bit trying to help out with our non working hydraulic levelers but our coach set up was different than his & neither one of us could find the solenoid switches, power disconnects & stuff.  Power levelers....bah humbug, who needs em anyway!!  Said good-bye to John & we hope to see them in January over at Hickiwan Trails near Why Arizona.  All & all it was nice to see Pat & John again & to meet their lovely daughter Kelly. (kelsiphoto at etsy.com)  Nice folks & a big thanks for supper guys:))

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Ok, it's late & I'm wrecked.  These time zone changes have really zonked us.  I'm oughta here!!

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A car mechanic received a repair order that said to check for a clanking noise when going around corners so he took the car out for a test drive and made a right turn, then a left turn, each time hearing a loud clunk.When he arrived back at the garage he returned the car to the service manager with this note: 'Removed bowling ball from trunk.'

FACEBOOK READERS GO HERE TO SEE OUR ACTUAL WEBSITE COMPLETE WITH PHOTOS & MORE INFO.

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

WAITING IN TEXAS FOR THE SNOW TO CLEAR IN NEW MEXICO’S SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS

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HERE’S THE BEST PARTS OF THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))

The day dawned cloudy, windy, wet, & cold.  Not a nice RV weather day!!  There is snow & bad weather in the mountains west of Roswell New Mexico & friends in Tularosa on the other side of the mountains said the Apache Pass can be nasty.  Weatherman said they had 13 inches of snow in Ruidoso & that is right on our way.  Decided to spend the day here in Brownfield Texas because we have free water & electricity, nobody else here, & they have a large sports complex area for walking the doggy guys.  Might un-hook the car later & do a mall crawl as well because they have a Wally World here.  I'm feeling like a people fix so just walking around in Wal-Mart for half an hour should fix me up real good for another month.

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THE WHOLE GANG WAS POOPED TO-DAY

Ever had one of those really rotten RV days from hell??  Rene & Jim did a few days ago.  Check out their miserable ordeal at LIVE-WORK-DREAM.  We met Rene & Jim last winter at the ranch.  Nice folks.  I used Googles search gadget on our blogger site for the first time to find the Rene & Jim post I did last FEB 13TH & it worked fine.  Sure makes for finding things in previous posts much easier.  Jerry, go to your blogger dashboard & click layout.  Click 'add a gadget' & you will see the Google search gadget in the menu near top.  Click on that & 'poof' it's on your site.  Then, flushed with new confidence & success, get your blender out & try one of my yummy-yukking shakes while your at it:)) 

 

MAX & CHECKERS ARE IN THIS PHOTO THIS IS A LARGE PARK BONZAI LIKE TREES
JUST HAVING A SNOOZY DAY UNPACKING THE GROCERIES COLD WIND BLOWING ALL DAYHEADING BACK TO OUR RIG AFTER A WALK
2 MORE RIGS PULLED IN TO-DAY WHAT?? THIS GROCERY STORE'S GOT EVERYTHING:)) PROBABLY PRUNED TO THIS SHAPE

HOVER YOUR MOUSE OVER THE PHOTOS FOR CAPTIONS & CLICK THEM TO ENLARGE

4p.m.   We are back from our Wal-mart excursion & I was a bit disappointed in the store.  It's old, not very big, & reminds me of an old Kresge's or Woolworths store from years ago.  Needless to say I didn't walk out of there with my usual Wally World high.  Next it was a grocery store & than back to the rig in the pouring rain with a slight bit of sleet mixed in.  Just not a nice weather day.  Took the panel off the hydraulic leveler box looking for the big red 'easy fix' button but it didn't have one.  I think those 'easy fix buttons are only installed in those high end coaches.  Rest of our day has been spent sitting around reading, ambient music, TV, & slow motion computer stuff.  Air card isn't as fast as we are used to but it helps pass the time waiting for pages to come up.  Kelly also snuck up & gave me a haircut to-day after I fell asleep in the computer chair waiting for a website to open.................:))DSC_0002

HURRY BACK FROM GROCERY SHOPPING MOM & DAD

And welcome to new follower....John Souza Sr:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  I got in a fight with my wife last night and it was totally my fault.  She asked me what was on the TV and I said............"dust."

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS  http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

BOWIE TO BROWNFIELD TEXAS - HIGHWAY 380……..THE LONG QUIET ROAD WEST

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THE LONG TEXAS ROAD WEST

Our plans to sleep in this morning went about as well as we expected.  I was up at 4 a.m. & Kelly was up a half hour later.  Seems the more we age the less we sleep & quite possibly the less we sleep the more we age.  Yes, I have heard life referred to as a merry-go-round alright!!

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AFTERNOON PIT STOP NEAR CLAIREMONT, TEXAS

We puttered around on the computer catching up on blogs, emails, news, etc until well after sunrise.  Would have hung around longer but we had big winds coming in straight off the lake dropping the otherwise mild temps to unacceptable levels.  Decided to roll out, so at 8:35 we carefully eased out the bumpy water rutted laneway heading in the direction of the Park entrance. Came to a fork in the road where I of course took the wrong fork to the right & promptly drove us down a mud caked road to a dead end!!  When you are driving a 33 foot motorhome with a car in tow......there is no backing up.  Had to un-hook the car, turn it around & then wiggle the motorhome back & forth a couple times until we had both vehicles separately heading back out to the main road with Kelly in the lead looking for the way out of the park.  Good thing we hadn't decided to leave earlier in the darkness.  Hooked the car back onto the motorhome on the paved road near the lake & we were on our way once again. 

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SELMA PARK ON CARTER LAKE NEAR BOWIE, TEXAS

On the way to Jacksboro I saw a road sign that said, 'Bugscuffle' which put both Kelly & I on high alert in case we came upon a couple of bugs scuffling on the road or something.  Or what if there was a large gangland bug scuffle going on just around the next bend in the road.  Never did see anything but thought it was a strange kinda highway sign anyway.

DSC_3833 Our trek westward went well under sunny skies & it's probably the 3rd or 4th time we've used this quiet 380 route.  Very little traffic & many times there are no vehicles visible for as far as the eye can see either ahead of us or behind, & there are stretches where the road is visible for miles in either direction.  Trees are gradually vanishing & giving way to the long stretches of the vast plains.  Many cotton fields west of Post, Texas.  There also begins a gradual ascent here as well so of course we picked up a full load of fuel in Post & then proceeded to drag all that extra weight up the long ascent to Brownfield Texas some 54 miles away.

IMG_0969 Before reaching Brownfield we stopped in a little town called Tahoka where Kelly slipped into a grocery store for some bananas & milk.  While waiting in the parking lot I was thinking what a nice name this town head.  I was reminded of the 'Bugscuffle highway sign I saw this morning.  Figured if the townsfolk of Tahoka ever got to-gether with the folks in the Bugscuffle area & had themselves knock em down & drag em out Saturday night barn dance, maybe by the end of the night they would come up with a new kind of dance called...........'The Tahoka Bugscuffle.'

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COTTON FIELDS WEST OF POST, TEXAS

Now, about the word, Mossmagator' I sometimes use in my blogs.  JERRY asked me about that this morning in an email.  I first came across the word in the late 70's.  A friend & work place supervisor used it one day when describing something he couldn't remember.  Heard him use it a few more times in different ways & terms.  Mossmagator can be used in many venues...... could be a Mossmagator hub cab, or, can you hand me that Mossmagator of a wrench over there.  Oh, what a Mossmagator he is, had a piece of apple pie with some of that great Mossmagator sauce on it, & when eating one of Jerry's peanut butter & onion sandwiches you might just come down with a Mossmagator of a stomach ache!!  Anyone can use the word Mossmagator by following these simple rules.  You must repeat the word 'Mossmagator' 3 times in rapid succession & then turn around twice in the opposite direction.  If you do that, the word is yours to use forever.................. But, on a more serious note......the fellow I got that word from is right now at this moment in critical condition in a Jacksonville, Florida hospital after suffering serious injuries in a fall from a roof.  And, he is the very same Richard who I mentioned in my October 19th blog.  And as soon as he regains consciousness I'll bet he's going to say, "wow, that was one Mossmagator of a fall I had!!  Keep him in your special thoughts.

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I THINK WE’RE GETTIN CLOSER TO THE MEXICAN BORDER

It's a cloudy Wednesday night with rain sprinkles & we are in Brownfield Texas.  We do not have good Verizon air card coverage here so I don't know if this blog will upload or not.  Haven’t been able to read any blogs, check hotmail, or leave comments anywhere.  May have to wait until we reach another area before we get caught up with everybody again.  Maybe Thursday sometime. 

We are in the Brownfield’s RV Park which has electricity, water, & a dump station, plus.......it's all free.  We stayed here last year on our journey west as well.  Lots of nice walking areas & the best part for us to-night is the pleasant fact that we are the only one's in the whole park.  Do  you suppose word got out again about the Bayfield Bunch's traveling animal circus being in the area.

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COLEMAN RV PARK IN BROWNFIELD, TEXAS

Try as I might I could not get our hydraulic leveling jacks to work.  Haven't used them since last March but I'm sure I've remembered the procedure.  Tried with the engine on & off, made sure I had the emergency brake on, & tried with the slides both in & out.  Checked the glass type fuse & the filament inside looked fine.  Made sure I had the 'On' switch to on.  Nothing!!  No power going to the control box so to-night we sleep on a slant.  I absolutely hate mechanical things!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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WE ARE THE ONLY ONE’S IN THE WHOLE PARK:))))

To-morrow we head west into New Mexico & my eyes will be straining to catch the first glimpse of the magical mountains looming out of the distant hazy horizon.  I am sooooo looking forward to seeing the mountains again.  The southwest has become our second home & we're looking forward to getting there very shortly:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal?  His goal.......transcend dental medication.

FACEBOOK READERS GO HERE TO SEE OUR ACTUAL WEBSITE COMPLETE WITH PHOTOS & MORE INFO.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS  http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.