It’s been two months since my last post. I have been busy, but I’ve also been unmotivated. I do appreciate the ability to catalog our adventures, so I am back and trying to be more regular about posting. There is plenty to catch up on. 🙂
Jackson Hole, WY
Jackson Hole was on my list, and I had hoped to go through Yellowstone on the way there, but it was not to be since it was early April. So, I set off from Missoula into Wyoming. We got about 15 miles out of Missoula, and the check engine light came on. Because Estella is a pretty, pretty princess, she requires extra TLC – primarily because of her Diesel Exhaust Fluid needs. I’m good at keeping her topped off, but there’s a ton of sensors that are and are not covered by our extended warranty. I spent some time in Jackson Hole looking for a solution over the weekend, but – of course – nothing was open. 🍫 More to come on this when I get to Colorado.
When I was in Jackson Hole, I used Turo to find a rental car. This is an app / website where you can rent a personal vehicle from a stranger – kinda. like AirBnB for cars. It was my first time using it, and it worked out well.
This is the Jeep I rented through Turo. It was a fun ride but definitely quelled my desire to buy one of these for myself.
I had breakfast at this cute spot in Jackson Hole – Cafe Genevieve – and walked around downtown before heading to the National Elk Refuge and Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center, which had an observation deck to see the elk doing their elk thing. Wyoming – like Montana – is so vast that even viewing the elk from the deck required a binoculars. I did see a lot of wildlife – a beautiful fox crossed the road in front me, and there were deer and elk near my site at the Fireside Resort.
(left) There are these incredible Antler Arches downtown. (right) This was the view from the observation deck. If you look really closely, you can see elk…kinda.
The most awe-inspiring part of being in Jackson Hole was the quick access to Grand Teton National Park. I was able to get into the park but not far, but there was still a lot of snow, so I didn’t get to see the majesty of the whole park, but what I did see was breathtaking. Hopefully, the pictures below give you a good idea of how beautiful it is.
I was so happy to be there with snow on the ground – warmed my cold, little heart.
Bathrooms
I just have to give a shoutout to the folks at Fireside Resort for their beautiful bathrooms. King Arthur’s poop box is in the shower in Estella, so I stay at places that have shower facilities, and it’s hit or miss. Fireside had some of the best bathrooms I’ve seen – clean, modern, fresh decor, and well-ventilated. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – nice bathrooms are a luxury that I will not take for granted any time soon.
I stayed overnight in Washington and Idaho on my way to Montana. The first night, I stayed in Kennewick, which was an easy drive from Portland. It was another really nice Boondockers Welcome stay. It was Easter weekend, so no one was around. The weather was sunny and a bit windy, but it was a very easy stay with electric hook-up and water. I would love to stay there again when I get back to Washington.
The next day, I picked up I-90, which is a road that I am very familiar with. I grew up in a town just south of I-90 in Minnesota, so it was a little piece of home, knowing that was on the western part of a road that I know so well. I was in awe of the topography of this stretch of I-90. The most lovely area was near Sprague Lake. We overnighted at Tamarack RV Park, which had an easy check-in process since it was still Easter, and the office was closed.
My plan was to get on the road and in Missoula on Monday. I didn’t have a chance really look around Coeur D’Alene, but the RV park was great – beautiful mature pines and spacious spots for my B class. I made a stop at St. Regis Gift Shop for fuel and for some postcards. I also discovered Huckleberry soda, which was absolutely delightful. This bag sums up Montana for me:
My pictures will never due Montana the justice that it deserves. Steinbeck had it spot on. “I am in love with Montana. With other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection. But with Montana it is love. And it’s difficult to analyze love when you’re in it.”
The drive to Missoula was uneventful, and Jim & Mary’s RV Park – where I was calling home for the next two weeks was perfect. They gave me a great spot on the end of a row, and it was spacious and easy to hook-up with a beautiful tree. I wasn’t sure if I’d have water or not because their website said limited water until mid-April due to the possibility of overnight freezing. Luckily, we had water!! I’ll say it again for anyone who will listen – life with running water is amazing.
On Tuesday, I took my rental car over to a salon to get a much-needed hair touch-up. Unfortunately, my stylist was pre-occupied and after waiting a half hour, I had to reschedule for another day with a different stylist. During my wait, I also realized I had entered Taco John’s land again. I do love Taco John’s tacos, cheese sauce, and potato oles. I grabbed some TJ’s and headed over to my co-worker’s home. We ate tacos, laughed, talked about prom with her daughter, and caught up – a great second day in Missoula!
On Friday, I headed out to Highlander Beer with my co-worker and a couple of her friends. There was a singer at the brewery, and they had pizza! I had a cider and enjoyed the ease of a conversation with girlfriends. How I have missed these kinds of evenings!
On Saturday, we ventured to Glacier National Park after enjoying some deliciousness from The Breakfast Club in Missoula – biscuits and gravy for me!! We were plagued with fog, but we did have a great drive up and back along Flathead Lake. We made our way back and stopped at Flathead Lake Brewing Company for a snack.
On Sunday, we hit up the Bitterroot Valley and stopped at the Big Hole Battlefield for some learning. It is a tragic story, but it’s important to remember. I’m writing this on Memorial Day, and all the lost lives to protect this country is somehow more moving after seeing so much more of this country. The sacrifices that so many have made on both sides of the weapons – if only we could do more with words and less with violence. The battlefield hosts an annual gathering to honor the Nez Peace ancestors.
My co-worker also took me to the Patagonia Outlet – a delightful way to end the day. Of course, we found some bargains, and then we ate at Dairy Queen on the other side of town.
Arthur loved Montana, too. He had some great sleep while we were there.
Our time in Arizona has come to an end already. Hard to believe how quickly the month flew by. The combination of having a work trip and making the most of my time with the rental car helped expedite our visit, so it’s time to say goodbye to the Grand Canyon State and head out to find our fortunes in the Eureka state.
The road from Camp Verde to Twentynine Palms, California, was not for the faint of heart. We took off around 10AM local time, and we traveled about 2.5 hours when Arthur really started to struggle. In hindsight, I think it was the frequency of the DIPs on the route. State route 72 and Aqueduct Road seemed to be the main culprits, and he was relieved when we arrived at our RV park – Twentynine Palms Resort – that afternoon. He had found another spot to hide while I was driving, and I decided that it would be better to just keep going instead of stopping and letting him rest and having him think we were done with the road. A short drive made very long.
There are some amazing sites when you drive across the country. It’s hard to capture them in words, and I really try not to take pictures while I’m driving. On this trip, there were two things – outside of the scenery – that piqued my interest. On one particularly open space, I looked out the window to my left, and flying parallel to me were two helicopters. I think they were military, but it was not what I was expecting to see. Where were they going? What were they doing? On that same road, there was a car full of stuff – no people from what I could see – that was just on the side of the road upside down, laying on its roof. How did that happen? Is everyone ok? No answers; just mysteries on this road trip.
When we arrived at the RV resort, I signed up for the Saturday night dinner that the park offers for $12 for first-time attendees. That night, it was chicken-fried chicken with corn, mashed potatoes, and a delicious cake for dessert. I ended up sitting with a great couple from Arizona who are just starting going out on long weekend trips in their motorhome. We talked about where they live, what we all do for work, and they had suggestions for future cities for me to explore.
The weather was beautiful, so we were able to open the sunroof and bathroom vent and pull in the fresh air, which was great for sleeping.
On Sunday, we drove out to the Yucca Valley and went on a horseback ride in Joshua Tree National Park with Knob Hill Ranch. Cara and Madeline were very accommodating, and the ride was great. My horse, Biscuit, was a trooper and loved being out on the trail. It was a great way to see the park and, according to my watch, it was great exercise.
Because I didn’t have a rental car, Arthur made the trip to Yucca Valley with me and Estella. He did great, but by the time we headed back to the park in the late afternoon, he was ready to be done.
Glamour snap of Arthur, advising me that he’s done traveling.
Unfortunately, Estella sustained her first injury under my care. When we were leaving Knob Hill Ranch, I didn’t turn wide enough and ended up scrapping the step on the sliding door. 🍫🍫 It’s surface damage, so nothing terrible, but it’s a bummer. Sorry, Estella.
Planning around weather is just part of the journey. Our venture further into California called for us to drive through an atmospheric river on our way to Morro Bay. I like to use Weather on the Way, but it really doesn’t tell you about road conditions – just about the, you guessed it, weather on the way. Luckily, our neighbor at the RV park used to work for the California Department of Transportation, and she was able to give me so solid advice about our upcoming drive.
After a month of staying in one place, it almost felt like we were starting all over again when I fired up Estella and got on the road. I decided to leave ABQ a day early, so we could make a stop at Saguaro National Park outside of Tucson, AZ. This benefited us in two ways: we could take a southern route and possibly avoid some unsavory winter weather, and we could check another national park off our list.
We took advantage of our Boondockers Welcome membership again and stayed at a ranch off the highway near Willcox, AZ. The sunrise (pic above) was beautiful, and the hosts were very kind and made time to visit about everything from schools to politics to AZ life. I am the type of person who likes to keep to myself, but I’ve tried to be open to impromptu conversations on this journey, and they have not been disappointing.
The next morning, we drove to Tucson and made a stop at a local bakery, La Estrella Bakery, on our way to Saguaro. The donuts and churros were fresh and delicious but – sadly – it wasn’t a tamale day.
When we arrived at the Saguaro National Park, I was stuck by the sheer number of cacti. I caught another park ranger talk in the morning and met two women who were visiting the area from Lakeville, MN, where I used to teach – such a small world. The ranger was also a retiree from, you guessed it, Minnesota. We strolled around the garden area where he pointed out an abundant amount of information about the Saguaro cacti and other plant and animal life in the park. Did you know that the Saguaro cactus is about 60 years old before it starts to grow its first limb and that they are also self-healing?
After the ranger talk, I strolled around the visitor’s center and took some more pictures, and then we traveled out of the park toward Gilbert, AZ, our next stop. This was probably the warmest day that we’ve had so far on our adventure. The sun and the heat felt good after the colder temps we just left in NM.
Mishaps and Maps
A reminder of the Mishap Scale >>> (🍫 = minor; 🍫🍫 = ordinary; 🍫🍫🍫 = embarrassing; 🍫🍫🍫🍫 = terrible; 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫 = not enough chocolate in the RV to recover)
We had only one real mishap on this travel day. While the bakery was delicious, the parking situation at the bakery was not. You’d be just fine in a car or truck or mini van, but in a 24′ van, it was a little hair-raising. In hindsight, I should’ve parked further away and walked a little bit to get there, but there was road construction near the bakery, and I misjudged the size of the parking area a bit. I was able to park without issue, but the leaving was another story. It was about a 10-point back-up, turn the wheel, go forward, back-up type situation. No damage to Estella or the bakery, but that chocolate-frosted donut tasted even better after we made it out unscathed. 🍫🍫🍫
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 