Back in the days of the pandemic, I had a great morning routine. I would wake up around 5:30, feed the cats, and then go for a two-mile walk around the small borough where I lived. It was energizing and relaxing at the same time. I would listen to podcasts or books on Audible and just enjoy being one of the only people out enjoying the fresh air.
Since I’ve been on this journey to find my forever home, it has been hard to get back to that groove, so I wanted to try to get it back now that the morning weather was getting cooler, and I was preparing to settle in to my time in New York. In Irondequoit, I started walking almost daily – either in the morning before work or after work. One of my first weekends, I decided that I would try to see more of the area by trying out different trails on the weekends.
My first trail was the Irondequoit Lakeside Trail that bordered Lake Ontario. I saw this handsome buck when I was trying to find a parking spot. The views of the lake were incredible, and I ended up turning around when I came upon an active crime scene, which turned out to be a fatal motorcycle accident.
Near Durand Lake, I stumbled across the White Lady‘s Castle ruins. There was a restaurant in this spot and never a castle, but the legend lives on. I walked up the stairs and around the site, but I didn’t see any ghosts – just a lot of graffiti and a nice view of the lake.
Another weekend took me to Corbett’s Glen Nature Park in nearby Brighton, NY. The trail wasn’t very long, but it was lovely. There were more inclines that I’m used to, but it was worth it for the variety of views and time in the trees. Unfortunately, there was a group running when I got there, and I learned my lesson. I should’ve gone earlier to avoid all the foot traffic.
I had also wanted to get to Corning, NY, to see the glass museum. Visiting had been on my list since my days in PA, so it was fun to make it happen while I was in Irondequoit.
To say there was a lot of glass is a gross understatement. When you first step into the Corning Museum of Glass, there are a few more modern glass displays, and for awhile, I thought that was it. I was so wrong. There were galleries upon galleries of glass. Glass from the beginning of glass, glass from other countries, functional glass, decorative glass, gigantic glass monoliths, wee glass intricacies, and just so much glass. It was overwhelmingly beautiful. So much glass.
I did catch a glass-blowing demo. It was neat to see the process live.
I walked across the bridge from the glass museum to the village of Corning and stopped in for lunch at Hand + Foot for a great BLT and more root beer. After lunch, I walked to The Rockwell Museum. It’s a small but might museum with some great exhibits, including this sculpture by Michael Naranjo. It was displayed in an exhibit highlighting art of the southwest U.S., and it reminded me of my time in New Mexico.
On the way back to Irondequoit, I also stopped by Watkins Glen State Park. I wanted to get some more steps in, but I had also heard that it was a beautiful park. Unfortunately, a lot of other people thought it would be a great day to visit, so the trail was very crowded. I’ll have to go back when it’s less busy to see more of the falls and trails.
Some random pictures of the glen and some strangers who just a couple of the many, many, many, many people who were at the park.
One more post about the Rochester area next time! Then, we’re on to Buffalo.
On Friday night, after I traded rental cars, I drove down to Roswell, NM. It was a really easy 3-hour drive, and I arrived in time to grab a quick dinner at the alien-themed McDonald’s. There were aliens everywhere, but I didn’t get a chance to check them out because I had a plan. I did see this beautiful mural when I was going through the drive thru, which was a highlight of the pretty ordinary town, sprinkled with alien statues and decor.
The Plan
I had a pretty aggressive itinerary for the Saturday when I woke up in Roswell. First up, I was driving to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, which is about an hour and 40 minutes from Roswell. After that, I was going to make the 3 hour trek to White Sands National Park by 4:30PM, so I could go for a sunset stroll with a park ranger and other park visitors.
Carlsbad Caverns
I cannot even begin to describe how beautiful the drive was to get to the cavern itself. You turn into a little town with a gas station, some shops, and a hotel. Then you enter the park itself, and I was amazed at the topography of the park. I should’ve stopped to take some pictures, but – you know – the plan must be obeyed. By the time I got to the visitor’s center, I had about an hour before I needed to get on the road to White Sands.
So, I bought my annual national parks pass, and I took the elevator down to the caverns. I gotta say that I’m still coming to terms with the feeling of claustrophobia that creeps up on me when I have time to think about the small space I’m in. There’s a lot of time when you’re in an elevator, going over 700 feet down an elevator shaft that is partially under construction. Apparently, the ride is only a minute, but I have to tell you that it felt longer. If I ever go back, I’d plan for more time and hike down and back up again.
It’s really hard to capture the grandeur of the caverns, so these photos really don’t do it justice. The photo on the left is The Bell formation, and I don’t remember what the one on the right is. I did end up being able to walk all the different paths in the caverns and get some underground steps in. It surprised me how humid it was, and by the time I was done walking all the trails, I needed to shed a layer.
I did stop for a snack because they have a snack station in the cavern (!!), and I didn’t know if I would have time to stop for lunch. The gal who took my money told me about the recent weather that I might encounter on my journey to White Sands. It was really helpful get a preview of the road conditions from a local, and I did end up taking the most direct route to White Sands NP.
Lincoln National Forest
When I entered the forest from the east on US Highway 82, I wasn’t particularly impressed. It was nice, but it didn’t seem that remarkable – mostly desert and vegetation, but definitely not as impressive as the drive into Carlsbad Caverns NP. About a half hour or so in, there was some snow on the ground, which was really beautiful to see. There are were ranches and houses along the road, and it looked peaceful with the fresh snow and sunny skies. The forest wasn’t done surprising me.
I hit the most beautiful stretch of Lincoln National Forest when I approached Cloudcroft and after I left the town. I hope I can go back soon, but I’m also glad that I wasn’t driving Estella. Since I wasn’t expecting it, there were a couple white-knuckle moments that had my palms a little sweaty.
White Sands National Park
I was about 5 minutes early to the sunset walk at White Sands NP, and the drive through the park to the meet-up spot was remarkable. The park ranger, Sarah, was great. She shared that White Sands was one of the newest national parks – before it was designated as a national monument. Since it’s become a national park, more has been invested in the park, and they’ve made some incredible discoveries. We heard about wildlife, water sources, and the vegetation in the park, and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset.
Just gorgeous views in all directions. That’s my adorable rental!! Take a close look at the ground clearance on that darling ride…more to come on that….
During our walk, I met a fellow traveler from San Francisco who was on her own adventure, meeting with a group she met through the Road Scholars. She was a delight, and it was really nice and encouraging. I did get on the road a bit later than I had anticipated, and it was definitely dark when I started trying to finding my way back to Albuquerque. Cue the mishaps after a mishap-free day….
Mishaps and Maps
A reminder of the Mishap Scale >>> (🍫 = minor; 🍫🍫 = ordinary; 🍫🍫🍫 = embarrassing; 🍫🍫🍫🍫 = terrible; 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫 = not enough chocolate in the RV to recover)
I feel fortunate that, other than my heating issue, my travels have been fairly uneventful. The majority of this trip went to plan, which was a refreshing. I had done quite a bit of planning for the trip to get to my destinations and precious little planning for my return trip to Albuquerque. I had thought, “Just drop the address in the gps, and I’ll be back to Estella and Arthur in a few hours.”
It was about 20 minutes into the drive when I turned onto a very dark and unpopulated road. At the end of that road was a lovely gate with barbs and signs that said stop, turn around, and testing area. When I got back and Googled where I had been, it was a missile testing site. 🍫🍫 Pretty ordinary mistake to unwittingly trust that your GPS isn’t going to try to take you through a potentially hazardous road.
Crisis averted, and I made my way back toward the main road. I had stopped, looked at the actual map, and found the best way back to the highway via the lovely, non-missile laden Railroad Ave. Seemed harmless, and I was hungry. It was now pretty close to 7, and the last time I ate was around noon when I bought snacks at the cavern’s underground snack bar. I was ready for food, my rental car was ready for some fuel, and the road seemed like a perfectly lovely way to get to both.
I have no idea how long I drove on Railroad Avenue, but there were several signs along the road for “DIP”s in the road. Usually, these signs are a gentle warning and not a big deal, as dips happen. This road appeared to be the same – just small unevenness in the pavement.
I will say that I’ve noticed them more now after this one particular DIP incident, but there are occasional, short overpasses that you see in NM, where you could drive a car under, and I always thought they were curious but never knew what they were for.
I can tell you now that they are for water. On Railroad Avenue, I found a “DIP” that was more than just a bit of a bump in the road. I cannot explain to you how fast the moment went from driving on road to driving through water of what was likely Tularosa Creek. Remember the Mini Cooper from above? Not great for crossing creeks. I was shaken up, praying that I didn’t get water in the engine, or damage the rental, so instead of stop and take a picture of what we had just managed to muddle through together, I just kept driving. Once again, I was thankful that I wasn’t in Estella, that Arthur wasn’t with me, and that I had my wits about me enough to keep driving.
After I reached the main road again and found a gas station. I ate a corn dog, put gas in the rental, and said a prayer of thanks for getting to wherever I was and for that corn dog. 🍫🍫🍫🍫 I would’ve rated this one a 5-bar mishap, but there was, thankfully, enough chocolate in the van to ease my stress after that adventure.
The Adventures of Ms Haps & Arthur 