Pecos, New Mexico area - Sept. 28-30, 2010

This trip was a short one, only 3 days and 2 nights, with the goal of checking off a couple of the National Park Service sites that aren't too far away. Getting the camper loaded on the truck took about 1.5 hours and I learned a few things that should make it go quicker next time. After loading some fresh water and a few food items, I got started about mid morning.

Lunch was in Santa Fe, where I took Cerillos Road into town. I hadn't been this way in a number of years and noticed quite a bit of growth toward the west end on town. Afterwards, I headed east (technically north but it is east on the map) on I-25 to the town of Pecos, New Mexico. Just east of there is the Pecos National Historical Park which showcases the remains of a large indian pueblo.

The site was a good place for a pueblo. It lies in the natural pass between the indians of the Rio Grande valley and the indians of the great plains. This made for very good trading based economy and the pueblo flourished. At its height, it had about 2000 inhabitants and the pueblo itself was 4 stories tall.

In 1540 the Spanish arrived. By about 1600 they had begun the conquest of New Mexico and built a large church next to the pueblo. The pueblo revolt of 1681 threw the Spanish out of New Mexico and the church was destroyed. That didn't last long, however, with the Spanish reclaiming control and building a new, much smaller church on the ruins of the old one. By 1780, disease, Comanche raids, and migration had reduced the population of the pueblo to about 300. By the time the Sante Fe trail was established through the area in 1821, it was almost a ghost town.

Since the pueblo was built of adobe, it has mostly crumbled into large piles of grass covered dirt. A few of the kivas have been excavated and the remains of the church have been uncovered and preserved. A few of the wagon wheel ruts of the Sante Fe trail can be seen skirting the edges of the ruins.

A view of the small church built by the Spaniards. I am standing on the large mound that is all that is left of the pueblo, itself.



Another view of the small church. The foundational stones in the foreground are part of the original church, which was one of the largest missions built in the Southwest.


A forest fire was burning up in the mountains west of Pecos.


After taking the walking tour around the site and viewing the museum, I headed off to the east on I-25 and exited at the town of Villanueva. Following the road for about 15 miles led to the Villanueva State Park where I camped for the night. The park is located on the banks of the Pecos river with yellow and red sandstone cliffs protecting the area.

My campground at Villanueva State Park.


The following day I drove farther up I-25, past the town of Las Vegas, NM, to visit the Fort Union National Monument. This fort was established in 1851 to guard the Sante Fe trail. There were three differnt forts built over its 40 year history, each larger than the last. The third incarnation was the largest fort in the southwest.

It served as a training base for civil war troops and as a base for troops during the indian wars afterward. Kit Carson led some of these actions. The coming of the railroad in 1879 led to the decline in the importance of the fort and it was abandoned in 1891.

Since a good part of the fort was built of bricks, the remains of the foundations and walls are still there. A walking tour leads you around the area which is fairly large. There are quite a few Santa Fe trail ruts to be seen here, as well.

Fort Union National Monument


A recreated camp used by one of the commanders.


Ruts from the Santa Fe trail. If they weren't labeled you wouldn't know that's what they were.


Officer's quarters.


The flagpole in the center of the parade ground.


Remains of the church.


The prison. It is better preserved since it was made entirely of stone so that prisoners couldn't dig out.



Next stop was back in Las Vegas for lunch and then back through the town of Pecos and up into the mountains. The road narrowed quite a bit but was generally in good shape. I was hoping to see some fall foliage on the trees but it was a couple of weeks too early - at least for the elevations I was at. I made it up past the turnoff to Holy Ghost and then found a nice National Forest campground to stay at - also on the banks of a small river. Only one other camper showed up for the evening.

The next morning was chilly and the heater in my camper quit working. The inside temperature was 55 which wasn't bad for sleeping but once I was up was too cold to sit around. I decided to head for home and got in about noon which left plenty of time to get the camper unloaded.

Campground in the National Forest.


The view out the back door of the camper. I couldn't find the name of the little river on my maps.



Miles driven: 393
MPG: 10.1

It was a nice trip, seeing a couple of historical places that I had never been to before. Next up is a longer trip through Southern Arizona and over to San Diego.

Tour of Colorado - August 9-17, 2010

The timing worked out well to combine the annual trip to a friend's cabin in Colorado with the pick up of the new camper. The plan was to get the camper a couple of days early and then to drive around a bit and spend some time getting the feel of it. If anything was drastically wrong I could then swing back by the dealer to get it fixed.

August 9

The inital stage was easy - drive to a spot near Henderson, Colorado where the camper dealer is located. I choose to drive up via Taos, Fort Garland, and Walsenburg for a change of pace from the normal route up I-25. I had plenty of time which was a good thing since this is not a quick route. The winding road from Espanola to Taos combined with the heavy traffic in Taos, itself, made for a slow trip at times. I stopped in Colorado Springs and had dinner with my brother and his wife and then found a motel near the dealership.

August 10

Camper installation day. The install went pretty quickly. The truck needed to have the camper tie-down system installed as well as an electrical harness. The dealer provided a thorough walkthru of the camper's systems and I was ready to go by about 2:00 PM.

The first drive seemed quite odd - I could tell I was hauling a lot of weight that made the truck seem top heavy. I drove aropund a bit and then headed out of Denver toward the east. The goal was a KOA campground in Strasburg which was 20 miles or so east. I got my spot allocated and made the first newbie mistake. I headed in nose first to the spot thinking that would give me good shade in the afternoon. I got out and discovered the power outlet was on the opposite side and was out of reach. I had to pull out and back into the spot to make the cord reach. (will need an extension cord, I think).

I got the thing plugged in and started up the air conditioner which worked fine. I then decided to try to get the water system working and discovered my second newbie mistake. I didn't have a water hose to connect to the outlet. There also wasn't any water in the tank to start with. Fortunately, the campground facilities were close so I put off the water issue temporarily.

Everything else seemed OK. I unloaded some of the furnishings that I had brought with me - mainly the bedding and a few cooking utensils. I watched a movie on the TV/DVD and hit the sack.

The new camper:




August 11

This was Wednesday and I had until 3:00 on Thursday to travel around before meeting my friends at the cabin. I started the tour of Colorado by heading east on I-70 which surprised me by heading uphill for quite a bit. I stayed on the interstate until Limon and then headed south/southeast to Kit Carson, and then hit US-50 near Lamar. The elevation dropped off gradually and the land got a bit drier. East on US-50 between Las Animas and La Junta was Bent's Old Fort which was my destination.

This is a US National Historic Site - it is a recreation of the original trading post from the 1840's. One of the two Bent brothers (Charles) became the first territorial govenor of New Mexico. The fort was the only place along the Santa Fe Trail that wagons could be repaired and supplies could be had.

The folks who work there dress in period costumes and act in character. I missed the beginning of one of their tours but caught up part way through. The tour leader was showing how the wood working shop was set up and asked for a show of hands of those who experienced a shrinkage of their wagon wheels on the way west with the dry climate and had their steel rims come off. That was one newbie mistake I didn't make.

After seeing the fort, I headed farther west. A stop in La Junta for lunch and a visit to Walmart satisfied my hunger and my need for a water hose for the camper. I stayed west on US-50 through Pueblo, Canon City, Salida, over Monarch Pass to Gunnison. The pass went pretty well - I didn't seem underpowered or anything. I took the sharp corners carefully, and had no problems. Camp that night was at another KOA, this time with water.

Bent's Old Fort - it sits above the Arkansas river.


The woodworking shop inside the fort.


The tour guide operating a foot controlled vise while he shapes a table leg.


Looking down inside the fort from the second level. There were a few bedrooms up above while the lower level was mostly workshops and trading areas.




August 12

I had originally thought I could make it to the Black Canyon of the Gunnsion National Park and have time to get to the cabin but the slow speed of mountain driving was not going to allow that to work out. I did drive west a bit to see the Blue Mesa Lake, which is Colorado's largest body of water. I then headed back east over Monarch pass to Poncha Springs, then north to Buena Vista for gas. The road to the cabin goes over Wilkerson Pass which has a nice visitor center that describes the area known as South Park. There is a good map of the mountain peaks you can see out to the west (of which there are 20 shown - mostly 13-14 thousand feet high).

The cabin crew met at the gates of Landis Ranch and we drove on in. While deciding how to get my camping rig in the drive, we decided to have the other guys back out so I could get in a fairly flat spot. One of the guys backed his car right off the edge on the embankment and nearly took out the cabin's water system (not to mention nearly messing up his car). We were able to get the other car (a truck) in front and use my tow strap to pull him back up. Afterward, I backed my rig up and used my homemade leveling blocks to get close to level.


A view of Blue Mesa Lake - there had been an early morning thundershower but it was clearing out by this time.


At Monarch Pass - shortly after this picture it started raining with tiny pellets of ice mixed in.


The view from Wilkerson Pass showing the region known as South Park.


August 13,14

These two days were spent at the cabin doing the normal cabin things. Some went fishing - I tried it on the first day but my back didn't cooperate at all. I only lasted about 15 minutes and had to give up. The other guys wanted to try something new - tubing on the Platte river (which was only a few miles away). I did the driving for them. The second day my back felt better so I had another go at fishing. I waded into the river since there is so much brush that you can't easily fish from the bank. I only fell once and got wet up to the chest. This time I lasted maybe 45 minutes but had to call it quits again with no fish to show for it.

I got the camper fairly level up next to the cabin.


The fly fishing stream in front of the cabin.


Two intrepid fishermen - I couldn't get them to catch a fish on cue for a good picture.


Only four of us on this trip - a different crew was at the cabin a few days before this.


August 15

The last day at the cabin saw us doing the clean up and we got out the door by 9:00 AM. The rest of the guys head back to Albuquerque but I headed west to Hartsel, then north to Fairplay, Brekenridge, and then I-70. Brekenridge was quite crowded with their summer tourists. My goal was Rocky Mountain National Park and I had figured I would go back through Denver and up the east side of the mountains to Estes Park but that was going to take a long time. I-70 through Eisenhower tunnel was at a crawl with all the traffic so when I saw a sign that said the Park was thataway, I took it. That turned out to be at the town of Empire and the road led to the South entrance of the park. From there, I drove over the Trail Ridge Road to Estes Park where I got my souvenir fridge magnet and tee shirt. I then headed back over the pass to a campground I had seen coming up.

The pass itself was fairly slow due to a lot of traffic (this was a free weekend for the National Parks so there was probably even more traffic than normal). The parking areas along the way were jam packed so I couldn't get many pictures. There were a few white-knuckle spots along the road where a small mistake could send you a couple thousand feet down before you stopped bouncing.

The campground had restrooms but no electric or water hookups. I fired up the stove for the first time and heated up a can of chili. It worked great. Cleanup was interesting since I was trying to conserve water but it went OK. The campground had cut down all of its pine trees due to Pine Beetles which have killed off large numbers of trees all around the area.

Rocky Mountain National Park - southern entrance.



Still some snow at the top.


A nice view from above the tree line. The Trail Ridge Road tops out at about 12,200 feet.


A quick snapshot out of the truck window. I didn't see much in the way of wildlife - just a few small herds of elk.


The campground - notice all the dead trees on the hillside - casualties of the Pine Beetle.


August 16

An early start saw me on the road through Steamboat Springs, Craig, and then Dinoasur National Monument which is nearly on the Utah state line. I was disapointed not to see the quarry visitor center where they have an entire rock wall complete with over 1500 fossils preserved. The building apparently had a big crack in the foundation which caused part of the building to shift 4 inches. They had to close it down and are building a replacement. Since that was closed down, the only other thing to do was take a scenic drive up into the hills above the main visitor center.

The drive wasn't hard but the weather started turning south. A big storm was brewing and moving my way. I stopped at the first two scenic overlooks and got a couple of pictures but the wind was getting so bad I couldn't open the truck door against it, so I headed back down. I did see a nice badger along the roadside, the first one I've seen in the wild. It scrambled into the bushes before I could stop and get my camera out.

From there I headed south to Grand Junction. I got in some of the rain from the big storm but missed the heaviest part of it. The road went over Douglas Pass which isn't overly high but had bad roadways and very tight curves. The speed limit the whole way was 25 MPH with a lot of corners posted as 10 MPH. It was also open range and I had to dodge cows in the road a few times.

The camp that night was at a KOA. This spot had a sewer dump with it so I figured I would try that operation. However, when I thought about it I had no hose to use to clean things up other than my new drinking water hose. I figured it would not be good to use that near the sewer stuff so I didn't dump the tanks.

A view on the scenic drive in Dinosaur National Monument.


August 17

The original plan was to stop by the Black Canyon of the Gunnison but I couldn't find the road that was supposed to lead into the north end of the park. I was feeling a bit under the weather so I decided to drive on home and leave the park for another trip. The area south of Montrose was quite nice - I wouldn't mind living there - nice green grassland with mountains all around, not far from Montrose and Grand Junction. The road leading out of Ouray was another white-knuckle ride. After Silverton, I had to stop several times at flagmen due to repaving that part of the road. Once past Durango, the road was almost all 4 lane the rest of the way to Albuquerque. I got in about 4:30 which gave me time to get the camper unloaded into its parking spot.

A view along the road south of Silverton while waiting for a flagman to clear the way for us.


Total trip: 2250 miles
MPG - before getting the camper: 14.8
MPG after the camper: 10.2 (about as expected)

Trip Report: SE New Mexico

Trip report: Southeastern New Mexico - June 21-23, 2010.

While waiting for my new camper to be built, I took a short trip to visit a few of the National parks and monuments that are in my own backyard. One of the goals of my travels is to visit as many of the National Park Service's holdings as I can.

The trip started by heading down I25 to San Antonio (the boyhood home of Conrad Hilton) and then east to Lincoln. I stopped off at the Billy the Kid museum there and refreshed my memory of the events of that time. Afterwards, it was a short hop over to Roswell. My original plan was to spend the night there but it was only a little after noon so I pushed on with my schedule.

First was a visit to the UFO museum which I had never been to before. It wasn't terribly large or sophisticated since its primary purpose was to build up the conspiracy theory of the UFO crash. I managed to put my skeptical side away temporarily and look at it in a spirit of fun.

Next stop was Carlsbad (actually, I went on to White's City to spend the night, which was a mistake. There was only one motel in business and they charged a hefty price even though the place was pretty old). After checking in I decided to head on up to the Caverns to find out
schedules for the various events and to see the bat flight. On the way I passed a sign stating that the last time for entry into the natural cave entrance was 3:30 PM and it was 3:10. I hurried on up and managed to get a ticket to go in just before they closed it down.

As I walked past the ranger on duty leading into the cave, I tried to walk as normally as possible. I've been having trouble with my heel - either bursitis or perhaps a heel spur and I didn't want the ranger to turn me back. I also saw signs warning about the strenuous nature of the hike into the cave but I figured that only applied to old folks. However, after going down the steep trail through a dozen or so switchbacks, I came to the conclusion that I am one of the old folks, now. My thigh muscles were quivering with exertion and I wasn't sure if was going to make it without falling on my face. Fortunately, there is a nice handrail all the way down so I could take is slow and easy.

Looking down into the cave. There were many more switchbacks after these.


Once at the bottom I rested a bit and decided to go ahead with the walk around the Big Room. I figured it wouldn't be much up and down but I still was pretty beat when I finished it. This part is where most of the well known formations are located. Its a good thing there is an elevator back up or else I'd still be down there.

Hall of the Giants


Doll's Theater



After resting for an hour so and getting a bite to eat, I went down to the cave mouth again to watch the bats come out. It was pretty funny since I was sitting close to an older women who was deathly afraid of bats. She kept trying to shoo them away even though none were anywhere near to us. The bats didn't seem terribly numerous - probably due to the effects of pesticides
on the bugs they eat. There were still enough to see as they spiraled up.

Amphitheater for watching bats. No pictures allowed of the bats flying (too dark to get a picture, anyway.)


The following day I drove down to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park which is only about 30 miles away. This park has only been one since about the year 2000. As expected, there wasn't much to see from the visitor center - this is a hiking park. They did have a small museum that had stuffed examples of all the native wildlife. I bought my souvenir refrigerator magnet and left.

El Paso was next - I stopped for a late breakfast and then headed over to the El Paso zoo. Since I am member of the Rio Grande Zoo society they gave me half off the admission fee. It was a nice zoo, smaller than the Rio Grande zoo, and they didn't seem to have a lot of animals. Most exhibits had one or two animals where the Rio Grande zoo might have a half dozen animals in each group. Walking around the zoo was pretty tough since every muscle and joint in my legs was sore and stiff from the day before.

In the afternoon, I drove up to Alamogordo and took the turnoff into White Sands National Monument. I watched a brief movie explaining the area and then took the drive into the dunes. It was pretty interesting - I noticed that I was driving as if the road was snowpacked rather than just drifted over with sand.



I didn't dare to get too far from the truck - I wouldn't be able to find it again :)


I spent the night in Alamogordo and then visited the Space Museum the following morning. More walking :(

After the museum was the drive home. I went back north to Carrizozo, back to San Antonio, and then home.

Total miles driven: 850
MPG was 14.5 (I seem to get about 13.5 at 75 mph and close to 15 at 60 mph.)

Trip report: Colorado Springs, Colorado. This wasn't intended to be a sightseeing trip but rather to attend my nephew's high school graduation. While I was up there, though, I wanted to take advantage of the proximity of some alternative RV dealers in order to compare some different brands with those available in Albuquerque. I had found a place near Denver that carried a couple of brand names that I seen recommendations for, Northern Lite and Eagle Cap.

I went up with my brother and my dad to take look at them. The Northern Lite series didn't have any slide-outs which I had decided that I wanted. the Eagle Cap brand had several models with slides and also had some construction details that I liked. They use a clam shell design which should help reduce leaks. One of the models, the 1050, had a very nice floor plan with lots of storage space. The price was on par with the brands carried in Albuquerque so I decided to buy one. I added a few options such as air conditioning, generator, rear awning, and a nice skylight.

Since they didn't have one with my exact specs on site, they will need to build one at the factory for me. They claim 6-8 weeks for delivery. In the meantime, I need to get some basic supplies together to equip the rig.

My plan is to pick up the camper (they do all the installation of tie-downs, electrical, etc.) and then spend a couple of nights in it up near the Denver area to make sure things are all working OK. The first night would probably be in a campground with hookups while the second night might be somewhere without hookups. I'll need things like bedding, basic cooking gear, and towels which I can bring along with me. I could also stop at a Walmart up there to flesh things out a bit if needed.

Since I have about 2 months until the camper arrives, I am planning a short trip in the interim. My goal is to visit as many of the National Parks, National Monuments, National Historic sites, etc. as possible. I think I'll make a short trip around southeastern New Mexico and little bit of Texas and see Carlsbad Caverns and the Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

I'll make a report on this trip as soon as I get back.

Initial entry - Well, I've done it - I've retired early and am ready to do something different. One of the activities I intend to pursue is to travel around the USA (and probably some of Canada, as well) and see the sights. I had made a few road trips when I was younger in a small pickup with a camper shell to sleep in. Now, my aches and pains tell me that I need something with more comfort to travel around in.

I've been investigating the various kinds of RVs on the market today and have come to the conclusion that a slide-in truck camper would fit my needs the best. I like the versatility of that style of RV as well as the greater maneuverability over a towed RV. I can take the camper off while at home and still have the use of the truck. I also don't have the increased insurance and maintenance costs of a class C motor home (which was my second choice).

Since I am a lone wolf, a truck camper will have plenty of space for me. I already had a truck I could use. However, after looking at potential campers, I decided I like the larger, heavier campers, and decided to upgrade the truck first. I have always like Chevy trucks so I got a 2010 Chevy Silverado 3500, with crewcab, long bed, and dual rear wheels which should be able to handle the size of camper I plan to get.

Here are a couple of pictures of the new truck.