I took the state road through the mountains until I came into Georgia O'Keeffe country, surely one of the prettiest places in the US. No one else on the road so I could meander and enjoy the views. My timing was to hit Abiquiu so I could lunch at Bode's General Store, known for their Green Chile Cheesburger. My first GCC in two years, and my trip south to Deming is planned around 6 or 7 places that contend for the best in New Mexico. The...
A good blow came through yesterday and it was in the 30's this morning. Now I'm in Bloomfield, NM for the night, and tomorrow I'll make the turn south. I'll land in Espanola, not any warmer, but close to Santa Fe which will be good for a couple of day trips. My goal was to get into Northern NM before weather turned me south, so I'm happy.
I drove too much yesterday so kicked back today to enjoy the scenery. The last time I was here the weather was overcast, turning to heavy rain, and the visitor center/hotel complex was under construction. Threat of road closures chased me out before I had any chance to enjoy the view. The new building complex is very nice, an excellent place to sit back and just watch the view. The gift shop is quite remarkable for it's quality jewelry and other...
I've seen a lot Jersey walls and orange cones blocking entrance to our lands. None was more dramatic than the road to Lees Ferry. Lees Ferry is at the very beginning of the Grand Canyon, the place where you can put in a raft to drift the river, by far the best way to experience the canyon. There was the expected barrier, but I was surprised to see what I'd call a small army (of park police and local law enforcement) guarding the road. Getting a...
The idea was to go to Page, via the Navajo Bridge. When I got to the familiar intersection, the road was closed, and the detour went off the wrong direction. On my way to Tuba City I realized that using the detour route would take me about 250 miles out of my way and I could think of no reason to visit Page at that cost. None of my maps showed 89 closed and the installation of 89T which is the detour route. But I'm using 2012 maps. I didn't see...
This is a nice park, about 30 miles away from Zion,and fairly new. A large lake, sand dunes for OHV's, full hookup, dry camping, and park on the beach. Sites are huge drive-ins, perfectly level so all you do is drive in and turn off the ignition. Economical, too. 17 for beach, 18 for dry camping, I think 22 for full hook-up. Of course, if you're in the area you'd probably choose Zion for a parking place, but that's not an option today. I...
The first time I saw the southwest and red rock formations I drove a rental to Valley of Fire following a convention in Vegas. Quite a long time ago, so it was good to be here again. I was pleased that my cell phone worked, though the campground is built into a pile of rocks. I've been very happy with Nevada state parks, and this one is especially nice, perhaps the state's best. A great visitor center, excellent scenery, good roads, and low...
The weather forecast is excellent for the next 7 days, so tomorrow I go to Valley of Fire State Park, just north of Las Vegas. I doubt I will have cell phone service for a couple of days. As I plotted my route from Valley of Fire, I picked Lee's Ferry because I like it, the Page National Recreation Area because it's free, and Navajo National Monument because I haven't been there. All three are run by either the NPS or BLM, and are no doubt...
Death Valley is always nice to see, and I couldn't resist being so close and having a cool-down occur. It was very pretty, and very uncrowded this being early in the season for them. The weather forecast looks good to pull off my plan to head due east from here. That would be north over the Grand Canyon and stay north sight-seeing until I hit New Mexico. Sometime over the next 10-14 days bad weather might strike and will force me south, but I'll...
Of course, I'll check the forecast in the morning but it looks like a cold front going through right now will moderate the temperatures down quite a bit at Furnace Creek. When the pattern reverses, I'll come back to Pahrump, likely Saturday. DV really doesn't get going until mid-October, so I expect things will be very quiet there. Which is fine with me. I'm not clear on whether there is or is not cell phone service there, it sounds like it...
If Nevada were to have a most beautiful city contest....no, that couldn't happen. But if it were Least Beautiful, I'd nominate Pahrump. I'm here because it looks like Death Valley will cool down later this week, and I'll take advantage of it for 2 or 3 days. I'm parked at the Lakeside Casino and RV Park, which is extremely nice for a small amount of money.
The Sierras got a dusting of snow last night (beautiful!) which reminded me that I probably don't stand a chance of messing around in the mountains of New Mexico this season. Oh well. I'm heading towards Pahrump, and am currently at Miller's Rest Stop outside of Tonopah, NV. When I arrive, I'll spend a couple of days reworking my plans, with an eye towards Death Valley if weather permits.