CATCHING UP

Last night I walked the dog late watching the sky turn that weird yellow that makes
you think of tornados or something.

I counted off in thousands the miles to the west the thunder rumbles came from.
Ten, seven, five…We picked up the pace as tiny drops began to fall and had a double rainbow in the darkening east as we got back to the camper. Inside for two minutes and the thunder was crashing above us, no counting needed, and hail came down so fast it immediately filled the seats of our outdoor chairs!
I was in heaven. I love thunderstorms!
We paused here in Bayfield at Pine River RV in Colorado to do some serious cleaning up. Five industrial loads of laundry. really nice showers (warm, clean, curtained and free). Shaving and foot scraping, best of all shampooing!
Dog washing and grooming, sheet changing, window wiping and all.
it was fun getting dirty, but as usual, sure feels nice to clean up again.

I am so far behind on any writing I decided just to let you know the highlights in pictures and words where we have been the last few weeks.
Most of the photography is R’s handiwork. he finally got a new camera and the photos are much better.

okay, here is the lowdown, and I am borrowing from R’s log for accuracy:
April 23 Scottsdale to Payson. A not too bad RV camp for being walking distance to stores. VERY cool indoor outdoor junk and antique shop. Next door. pool was closed unfortunately.

April 24 Payson to Showlow, the little town named at a game of cards, Fools Hollow, where we camped last year. First flat on trailer enroute, picked up a screw on a break at a Forest service road. R put on the spare, had the old one fixed and now we carry one of those instant repair plugs you can buy.

April 25. Show Low AZ to cross the border into. New Mexico! Silver City was actually our destination, which we ended up passing next day.
We camped on a Forest service road that was quite pleasant with low trees shading Arroyos that ran dry between small mounded hills. Quite private, lovely walking with new flowers to identify and fascinating minerals.

I heard an awfull bellowing beyond our closest hill and thought a cow was stuck in a fence or having a near death experience giving birth. Went over to see and I will be darned if it wasn’t a Big black Angus Bull sobbing and wailing and drooling and all because he was penned away from the females. I never heard such a ruckus!

Warm and sunny with sapphire sky’s, billowy…….clouds. the rain thoughtfully did wait till night time to arrive.

Through Silver City to Las Cruces, passing through meadows full of white flowers, suddenly open with the rain. So many of those Primroses along the shoulder of the road at first I thought (sadly) that it was paper gArbage!
Photographed the largest and most painterly copper mine I have ever seen.

Snow as we headed into the hills. Thunderstorm dumping rain from amazing heights onto the organ mountains, a razor like ridge properly named.
la Quinta T Las Cruces. Bath for Moxy. Desert sneakers for me. Amazingly hard to find cool light shoes that don’t invite grass, sand and thorns.

April 28. Las Cruces to Brantley LakeCampground

April 29. Brantly State Park and Carlsbad Caverns. OH MY!

April 30. Brantley State Park to Villanueva State Park. Roswell where I must stop to see the UFO museum!

Gorgeous mostly empty campground in a canyon with a footbridge to lovely little hikes and views. Warm day, perfectly cool night.

May Day! VillaNueva State Park to Santa Fe. Real Treat to see Georgia Okeefe Museum and stay at a newer but traditionally decorated place in town where we could walk to galleries, the green square with vendors and the most amazing little Restraunt where recipes could be bought for kisses.

May 2 Sante Fe to Taos- Rio Grande Gorge. (Rio Grande Junction Campground).
Poking around and having lunch in historic Alley Cantina, AMAZING mineral store. Blew my mind (details).
Passes a crowded but tidy RV camp near freeway and opted for another adventure road with hairpin turns and chased by cold and lightening into the most fabulous campground yet. Amazing. Wonderful hikes for several days. Up steep hills into the wide open sky

We stayed four wonderful nights, enjoying the buildings to paint and R to carve when we were not hiking or exploring. A Wonderful native family with four kids were our camping neighbors and The kids had fun joining me in a little impromptu watercolor session until a driving wind forced us to put away our things and enjoy the lightening and thunder coming in. We brought in Cinco de Mayo with grilled steak, potatoes and red wine and scrabble as we had already had delicious Mexican lunch in town.

May 6 Taos New Mexico to Bayfield Colorado.
We passes a strict Eco village called earthship that one of our fellow campers was attending building classes at. EVERYTHING recycled into building. Snow over the San Juan Mountains into Chama. poor visibility, winding, steep but clear roads. bout froze to death when we made a stop at the top but 58 degrees as we passed the amazing Chimney rock.
It was a long day for us, which means five hours, and we stayed at Pine River RV Park, which has beautiful, creeks, bridges, trees and fields to wander in as well as the best possible showers. to town for mass laundry and lovely brewery dinner in little old part of town.

Now in Rifle National Park, where we were told we should just go check out the two mile dirt road as there were hard rains recently. Lovely spacious campsites in near empty campgrounds on rushing creek. sat out in the sun when we arrived yesterday and hiked an hour past the road closed sign. looks a lot more like home here than any place I have been since we left. Moxy was excited to run around off leash again after a few days being somewhat contained by travel and leash laws.

Rain, hail and maybe some snow came down hard last night and though the ground wasn’t covered at our elevation there was plenty of the cold stuff adorning the trees, picnic tables and so recently warmed outdoor chairs! Hiked down to a snow cave this morning. Only able to write outside for an hour today before white stuff started falling again so will likely move on tomorrow. R running the generator and we are plenty cozy inside the camper.

Happy Mothers Day To All You Mothers and all who have mothers and in particular all you earth mothers out there! Instead of being outside this sleeting day in Vernal Utah (near Dinosaur if that helps) I am all cleaned up AGAIN as is Moxy, passed out next to me, and have even had a little Jacuzzi in the not-too-fancy-but-it’ll-do Days Inn. Greetings children of my loins, hope you are well and warm and cozy with those you love!