New Year 2020

We lived in Moose for exactly one year traveling.  Once we arrived in Michigan it seemed harder to live on the road and visit with friends and family.  We tried a couple different options and didn't end up with an acceptable solution.  In October 2019 we closed on a home with access to Lake Huron, 2 hours from our children/grand kids and friends.  We had been looking in this particular area for awhile knowing we had plans of boating the Great Lakes and this place became available, we love it.

We got back on the road January 22 heading Southwest as fast as we could.  We traveled 1,765 miles in four days to get into New Mexico, whew, what a rush to get past those snow and ice storms.  It was great hooking up with a couple of friends, Jane and Pat from Michigan, we enjoyed stopping to have lunch with you in St Louis.  Two days later we met with their daughter Karen who just moved to Clovis NM for lunch.  That was so cool that our paths were crossing at the same time on the road and just as she moved to New Mexico.

From Clovis we headed north to Tijeras NM to hole up for 4 days and take some trips up to Santa Fe.  First we visited Meow Wolf.  Next we visited Canyon Road home to 80 of the 240 galleries in the Santa Fe area.  After 2 full days, we made it to about 10 galleries, they were so amazing we spent so much time in each one.  Definitely we will return to Santa Fe, visit more galleries, museums and Georgia O'Keeffe museum and her studio/home.





Inside the Meow Wolf walk through exhibit.



It's a very visual experience and even better with 3D glasses.

Meow Wold is weird, like nothing you've ever experienced, you just have to do this for yourself.

The architecture is Southwest all over Santa Fe this is a gallery front on Canyon Rd.

There are galleries on both sides of Canyon Road and courts leading to other galleries.  

What a beautiful road with so much to see.

Were back in Michigan

It's hard to believe our last post was from Winslow Arizona in April. I'll be back tracking to show you some of the cool places and things we did between there and here.

We traveled 8,600 miles in the motor home (Moose) since October 2018 those miles do not include miles we drive in the jeep.

Were on a mission to visit all the National Parks. 

The black pins on the map represent their locations.

RV Living stats from the road

We have been on the road for over 4 months in our 34' motor home named Moose.  With our three slides, we live in 318 sq ft.

Since our last post we have been traveling in Texas and New Mexico covering 1488 miles in 34 days.  

The weather has been in the 80's and down to 20's and everything in between.  Michigan is not the only state that can change 20 degrees in one day's time.  The difference is the day time highs recover rapidly and our average temperature has been about 60.

131 days on the road

4,998 miles 

29 campgrounds

12 states

$17.37 average daily camping cost

Big Bend National Park, Rio Grande River

We spent 3 wonderful days in the park. Our weather was perfect, sunny and temperatures reaching into the 80's.

There are lots of 4 wheel drive only roads in the park.

Gilberto Luna lived in this "jacal" with his large family 

until 1947 when he died at the age of 108.

This is the beginning of the trail through the canyon.

The Rio Grande River, on the right Texas, on the left Mexico.

A view from the trail looking down to the Rio Grande River, notice how small the people are, they are standing in Texas, 

Mexico is on the right side of the river.

Were moving further into the canyon.

We walked up and then down to the canyon floor.

Were on our way back from the canyon and still pretty high up.

Were parked to take a trail down to a place called Hot Springs.

We weren't sure what to expect.

The path to Hot Springs.

We weren't expecting actual hot springs, this water was 103 degrees.  The water flowed over the edge into the Rio Grande River.  Look right behind the lady in the blue swimsuit.  

We got into the springs too.

Today was valentine's day and we were sitting along the Rio Grande river enjoying some tequila.  Out of the brush from Mexico comes a burro with two men crossing the river into Texas, that's how easy it is to enter without going thru customs.

This is the Boquillas Port of Entry within Big Bend Park, where  people legally enter Texas.

Deck spotted a wild boar roaming in the brush while driving.

Once again we were enjoying a view of the Rio Grande river.  

Two people are crossing back into Mexico in a canoe.  

There was a group partying just up from the rivers edge in Mexico we could hear loud music and laughter.

This is a view looking to the right.

A spot in the park with wild donkey's.

There were a lot of wild flowers blooming, this was amazing to see.  Just around the corner to the right over this bridge were the burro's.

Marathon Southwest Texas

We left the Hill Country heading west on 10 then south towards Big Bend National Park.

The drive south to Marathon TX is the beginning of the desert.

Our campsite at the Marathon Motel and RV Park.

 

It's desert, brown and very little green vegetation.

View from our campground.

 

Inside the walled area was a place for campers to picnic or have a fire.

The GAGE Hotel in Marathon
a really cool place to stay if your not camping.

Inside the lobby of the Gage Hotel.

An exterior wall of the Hotel.

Texas Hill Country

Were camping 12 miles out in the hill country near the town of Bandera.  
The Cowboy Capital of the World.
It's a neat little town of 800 residents, very upbeat and busy, the Fickle Pickle is like a bread and butter then comes a hot a spicy finish, hard to describe but just good and it's made in Bandera.  

Camp Verde is now a General Store, Post Office and restaurant that closes at 3pm. 

Camp Verde was a United States Army facility established on July 8, 1856 in Kerr County, Texas along the road from San Antonio to El Paso.  The camp was the headquarters for U.S. Camel Corps, which experimented with using dromedaries as pack animals in the southwestern United States.

Camp Verde is beautiful with amazing gardens and a nearby stream.

Rails a Cafe At the Depot
Kerrville, TX
An old depot building serving meals on white linen table cloths, very upscale and tasty food. 

Just South of San Antonio we entered the hill country.

A typical view.

There are many large ranches in this area along with Exotic Game Ranches. 

Were camping in a gated community typical of this area, called Holiday Villages of Medina.

Water, electric and sewer, there is a hot tub and recreation room.

We've enjoyed this area of Texas and wanted to attend the rodeo in San Antonio, however we found out it starts at 7pm and runs until 12pm, were 90 minutes away.   Our fellow Texans warned us not to make the drive at night with the amount of deer, antelope, and wild boars that roam the roads at night, sounds like good advice.

Corpus Christi, USS Lexington battleship, Texas Moving onto San Antonio

We toured the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi, Texas. It was a sunny but cool day

USS Lexington seen from the freeway overpass, Corpus Christi,Texas

Interesting history timeline of this magnificent ship

Walkway up to the entrance

Control tower with 5"/38 caliber armament, scaffolding is set up around tower for on going repairs

Flight deck looking from the control tower looking to the stern

Flight deck looking from the bow back to the control tower

Blue Angel jet on the flight deck

Early Cobra helicopter

Darlene at the flight boss station in the control tower

Deck at the flight boss station 

View from the flight boss seat looking over the Blue Angel on the Bow, notice the tug and tow passing through from the Corpus Christi port 

Original SBD from the Battle of the Coal Sea

Escalator from the lower deck to the pilot ready room

Leaving the Gulf Coast heading west through Texas