Sunday – January 1 – Well we are finally on our way! We had planned on leaving yesterday but the weather was lousy and the road conditions weren’t great so we decided to wait another day. Can-Am kindly lent us a vehicle last night so we went out for a nice dinner to celebrate New Years then came back to the trailer and had a quiet evening.

The roads were good today and we even saw the sun for about ½ hour – it’s been so long we weren’t sure what we were seeing! Stopped for the night at the Fort Wayne North KOA. Thank goodness for their nice clean restrooms as we couldn’t hook up the water as it is still below freezing.

Monday – January 2 – A quiet day on the road as it is a holiday for most people, although we heard that the schools in Indianna were open today. By the time we got to Indianapolis the sun was out and the temperature was 72F which was lovely but also quite scary. Shortly after clearing Indianapolis we were hearing tornado warnings for the area in which we were heading, great, but we lucked out and only hit one bad area for about 5 minutes and about 30 seconds of hail, which was more than enough. Stopped for the night near Vandalia and again it was too cold to hook up the water.

When we stopped wouldn’t you know it but we couldn’t get the tonneau cover unlocked, needless to say John wasn’t a very happy camper as all the blocks were guess where!

Tuesday – January 3 – Called Sauder’s this morning and found out how to jimmy the tonneau cover. At least it now opens but will have to find a lock smith somewhere to get it fixed. Today started out cloudy but ended up being a lovely day. Went through St. Louis with no problem and saw the large arch which is their claim to fame. Had an uneventful drive and stopped in Springfield, Missouri for the night and YES, we had water. Stopped early as Mother Hubbard’s cupboards were totally bare and if we wanted to eat again we had to get groceries, so went to Wal Mart and restocked. Now we are good for a few more days.

Wednesday – January 4 – Another lovely day with temperatures in the mid 60’s – I sure do like this weather! We spent most of the day driving through Oklahoma which is fairly flat and a boring drive. It is very dry here and there are major forest fires to the south so do hope they stay there. We crossed the Arkansas River twice today, the first was the navigable portion and the second wasn’t and it was pretty well dry, just a few puddles here and there – quite disturbing. They are crying for water here – can we send them some from home! We stopped for the night just west of Oklahoma City and managed to get some laundry done. There was a gorgeous sunset, hopefully we will see lots more!

We are camped in a Best Western Hotel with a campground attached and part of the price is a free breakfast in the morning so we will take advantage of it.

We are really pleased with our new trailer, now we just need a few days to stop and finish getting organized. John is itching to get the trailer and truck washed so hopefully we can accomplish that within the next couple of days.

Thursday – January 5 – Had our breakfast at the Best Western and then headed west. Today was a very boring drive, just like driving through the prairies except for a couple of areas where there was a little more variety. At Weatherford, OK there was a huge wind farm, I counted over 50 windmills and there were lots more so probably over 100. Quite impressive to see them all going around. We passed another spot with a wind farm but not nearly as large as at Weatherford. We stopped at Tucumcari, New Mexico for the night, stayed at a lovely KOA for under $20, which is totally unusual and also had high speed wi-fi so got caught up on our e-mail, etc.

Friday – January 6 – Wow, what a difference in scenery, today’s drive was wonderful with a real variety. There was some of the flat land but mostly the land was really scrubby with all these interesting hills of all different sizes and shapes. It was a really scenic day. There were a number of interesting overpasses on the interstate which looked pretty new and had lovely petroglyphs on them, something totally different.

It was only about 170 miles to Albuquerque so we got here in good time and got set up in a nice campground and have taken the site till at least Tuesday. We got set up then went out and got groceries and what a gorgeous view of Albuquerque on the way back. The campground is at an elevation of 6000’ so had to climb on the way back and below were all the lights of Albuquerque – a very pretty sight. There appears to be lots to see here so it should be interesting. It is warm during the day, but very windy, but gets quite cold at night, John is going to take off the hose tonight as the temperature is supposed to go down to the high 20’s. It is very dry here also.

Saturday – January 7 – Today was clean up day, me inside and John outside. John got the truck organized and some stuff packed away and I reorganized drawers and cupboards (again!!) and did some cleaning. We are really pleased with our new Airstream and wouldn’t change it for anything. When we walk through a park we have to laugh as we looks so small compared to all the 5^th wheels and motor homes, but my knees sure do like not having a lot of high stairs to climb all the time!!!

After cleaning we went shopping and drove back to the park along old Route 66 through the heart of Albuquerque so was an interesting drive. There is an aquarium here so might check it out sometime, but there is also a lot of other sights to see. The weather was sunny and in the high 50’s today but I think it is supposed to go below freezing again tonight. We have gone through 2 time changes since leaving home so are now on Mountain time and 2 hours behind home. We have been following Route 66 since St. Louis but most of it is now the interstate.

On the way back today we crossed the Rio Grande and it was also very dry looking, some water but lots of dry spots.

Sunday – January 8 – Today we took the Sandia Peak tramway which is a tram car ride up Sandia mountain to the Peak, and is supposed to be the longest tramway in the world. The tramway is a double reversible Jigback Aerial Tramway which was built between 1964-66 at a cost of $2M. The horizontal length is 2.7 miles (4.46km) with a vertical rise of 3,819 feet. There are two towers that the tram crosses and the lower terminal is at an elevation of 6,559 feet and the top terminal is at an elevation of 10,378 feet. The tram speed is 20 feet per second and it takes about 14 minutes to go to the top. What a wonderful view going up and the view from the top was absolutely gorgeous! We were told that from the top you can see 15% of New Mexico! On the opposite side of the tramway are ski hills but this year there is no snow (which is apparently unusual) so of course no skiing. To look west out over Albuquerque it was quite hazy (presumably smog!) but to look east it was perfectly clear, both views were breathtaking.

There are also hiking trails from the top and on the way back down the tram car was filled with mainly hikers, made me feel lazy that we had just ridden up and walked around without doing some hiking up the trail! It was quite interesting that there is a large water tank under the tram which we presume is how they get water on the top. There is also a doorway onto the top of the tram which is where the maintenance people ride to do maintenance work – no thanks!! The attendant on the tram was saying they have provisions for 8 hours should the tram breakdown and also there is a 900’ harness which they can use to lower people out of the tram should it stall. She said they have never had to use this but she seemed quite eager to try it out, I was just hoping she wouldn’t get the opportunity when we were on board!!

After we left there we drove through a subdivision near the base of Sandia Peak and the homes were absolutely gorgeous. The architecture here is totally different from home., most of the homes have an outside of either clay or stucco, but it is a flat finish rather than the rough finish of stucco homes at home and they are mainly an orangey colour. The yards are brush and cactus, no such thing as grass, so should be easy to maintain. We took another route back and some of the houses and lots were enormous and most of them were fenced or walled with the homes set way back. We passed an enormous building with a huge parking area and all of kinds or RV’s then finally saw a sign and it was the casino and resort – very impressive looking!

So far we are quite impressed with Albuquerque and although the weather isn’t hot, hot it is still very pleasant during the day and the cold nights really aren’t that bad. Last night it only went to about 34 so didn’t even go below freezing. Sure beats the cold and snow at home!

Monday – January 9 – Today was a chores day, we went and got an oil change on the truck and YESS! we got the lock fixed on the tonneau cover so we can now lock it. Also got the laundry done for a few more days! The weather was lovely but only in the low 50’s, sure could use some warmer weather. We have paid for one more night as we want to do the Jemez Mountain Trail tomorrow.

Tuesday – January 10 – Wow, last night it got down to 21F – far too cold for our liking! Today it was up around 50 again so was pleasant but these cold nights are just too much.

Today we did the Jemez (pronounced Hay-mez) Mountain Trail. What wonderful sights and the mountains were just fabulous. We stopped at the Walatowa Visitor Centre and they had a very interesting museum there on the Jemez Pueblo. This Pueblo is the only remaining village of the Towa-speaking Pueblo people in New Mexico and is surrounded by colourful red sandstone mesas.

After the visitor centre we drove 5 miles off the beaten track to the Gillman Tunnels and the Guadalupe River Canyon. The road was so-so for the first 4 miles then the last mile was single lane and twisty and turny, fun! The Gillman Tunnels are a couple of tunnels through the mountain which were originally railroad tunnels and once you got through the tunnels there was a gorgeous view of the canyon way down below and a waterfall. Well worth the drive to see it. Along the road into the tunnels were various types of housing, some very poor places and very run down, then some really nice places and a few absolutely gorgeous looking places up on top of high hills. One of the really interesting sights was an Airstream trailer perched high up on top of a hill, don’t know how they got it there but it was sure interesting looking. After the tunnels we drove about 30 miles on the Mountain Trail and it was a gorgeous drive but about the time we turned around to head back guess what, the ground was covered with – snow!! Time to head south! A lot of the places were closed as this is not tourist season so there were some things we would have liked to see but couldn’t. On the other hand it was a spectacular drive and we were glad we stayed the extra day to do it.

We spent the whole day doing the Jemez Mountain Trail so didn’t have time to go see the petroglyphs. They are calling for colder weather with a chance of snow in the next couple of days so we are heading out tomorrow, as colder we don’t want. They were showing pictures of the snow in Oklahoma City on the news so we were real glad we got through there before the snow hit as they had a couple of inches.

Wednesday – January 11 – Today was another gorgeous day and reasonably warm. We left Albuquerque and headed south and drove as far as Deming, NM where we stopped for the night. The scenery was mainly mountains off in the distance and everything was so dry, but we did go by one area which was quite fertile and lots of wine orchards.

We had an e-mail from Janet & Dave saying they had reserved a spot at a park in Yuma from Feb 6 to March 6 so we managed to get a spot there also. It will be nice to spend some time with them and hopefully we can get in a few golf games.

Thursday – January 12 – Another driving day and we arrived at Cochise Terrace RV Resort in Benson, AZ about 2 in the afternoon. What a lovely place – the sites are very large, the roads are all paved and there are lots of trailers in here, only one or two vacant spots. The park is terraced which is quite nice and we are near the top. There is a lovely pool, hot tub, large laundry room and party room. We can look out the windows and see mountains in the distance. What more can we ask for?

Friday – January 13 – We went into the grocery store in Benson yesterday and it is quite pricey so decided to drive to Tuscon to a Wal Mart as their groceries seem to be about the cheapest. Tucson is not our idea of fun – a large city with lots of traffic and the Wal Mart is about 8 miles off the interstate. We spent most of the day there and hopefully that will do us for a week or so. The weather is gorgeous – in the 80’s. We went out for lunch when we were in Tucson and it was so much we ended up not bothering with dinner! Came back and went for a long walk around the park to try to wear off the lunch.

When we came back from Tucson I went in and reserved for another 2 weeks so we will now be here until February 2^nd. We will then go to Gilla Bend, which is halfway between here and Yuma, and I have reserved a park there for a week as our reservation in Yuma is Feb 9 – March 9^th. There appears to be lots to do and see in this area so I am sure we won’t be bored.

Saturday – January 14 – Well today is the first cloudy day we have had in a couple of weeks and it is also windy. John was in 7^th heaven – perfect weather for washing the trailer so he did the outside and I spent a couple of hours going end to end cleaning the inside. Now we should be good for a bit! The sun was in and out during the day, mostly in, but we can’t complain as we have had really nice weather so far. One bonus of this climate is that my knees haven’t ached in a couple of weeks – pure heaven!

We are finding the camping fees very reasonable, much less that what we were paying in the fall in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina and the parks so far have been really nice.

We are loving the new trailer, a few things that were missed by quality control at Airstream, but thankfully John has been able to sort them out. One of the problems was the writing table stood up at an angle that made it impossible to use. That was the project on Thursday night and he now has a writing table to use again! Sure don’t know how they could have missed that when they did the final inspection!!

Have to run, we want to go into Benson to the hardware store and I want to find some really good hand cream as my hands are so dry and a real mess. Guess I should keep them out of water and away from cleaning!

Small world, I went into the grocery store (John was still at the hardware store) and lo and behold Don McKelvey was at the service counter (we know Don through Can-Am). They were heading for a Coast to Coast park at St. David’s which is just down the road from Benson.

Sunday – January 15 – Today is sunny but windy and cooler, only in the 50’s. Guess we can’t complain as I hear it is really cold again at home!

Today we drove down to St. David’s to see is we could catch the McKelvey’s but they were out so then headed for Sierra Vista to see what is there. On the way to Sierra Vista we stopped at Kartchner State Park which has caverns but the cavern tours were all booked for the day, so much for that idea. The park ranger there said that tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day so everything is really busy, guess we will just lay low tomorrow. We have to go back to Tucson to return something we bought on Friday so that will probably be our excitement for the day.

What a beautiful sunset there is right now, the sky is just bright red. John has gone out to get a picture so hopefully he will get a couple of good ones.

He was just out putting water in the tank and disconnecting the hose as it is supposed to go below freezing tonight and came in and said the lock is not working on the tonneau cover again – great!!! Somehow I think the bbq person is going to get cold cooking dinner tonight!

Monday – January 16 – Well, it didn’t go below freezing last night like predicted so that was good. Tonight they are calling for lows in the 20’s and I think it will go down below freezing tonight, however they are calling for warming up during the week again.

Today we went into Tucson and returned the wheel lock that didn’t fit, paid a visit to Camping World then went on to Saguaro (pronounced Swaro) East National Park (there are two Saguaro National Parks – East and West). We bought an annual National Park pass today so now we can go back any time we want as well as visit any other National Park without having to worry about the day fee.

The saguaro has been described as the monarch of the Sonoran Desert, as a prickly horror, as the supreme symbol of the American Southwest and as a plant with personality - all of which truly describe it. The saguaros growth is extremely slow - after 15 years it would only be barely a foot tall. At about 30 years it begins to flower and grow fruit, and by 50 years it can be as tall as 7’. After about 75 years it may sprout its first branches or “arms” which begin as prickly balls, then extend out and upward. By 100 years it may have reached a height of 25’ and saguaros that live 150 years or more can be as high as 50’ and weigh 8 tons or more. These are the largest cacti in the U.S.

Along with the saguaro there were numerous other cacti, desert trees and shrubs which were all fascinating. There is an eight mile drive through the park with lots of hiking trails etc. We did the drive today and will go back and do a few of the hiking trails. It is interesting that various species of woodpeckers drill holes in the saguaro and then build their nests in them! We actually saw a woodpecker busy drilling at one of these huge cacti but of course there was no place to pull over and take a picture!

After we left the park we checked out Colossal Cave Mountain Park and will go back another day and tour the park and probably do a cave tour.

It was then home and time to do laundry, thank goodness that is done for another week. Actually the laundry room here at the park has lots of machines and the clothes actually dried for $0.75/load so can’t complain about that.

Tuesday – January 17 – Another nice day so we decided this was the day to visit the old wild west – Tombstone! They have the original part of town still like it was in the 1800’s but now most of the stores are gift shops! We meandered through most of them but didn’t buy anything but a few postcards, last of the big time spenders!! There was a stagecoach which you could go for a ride on, for a fee, and the street of the old part was still dirt to look authentic. We had lunch at Big Nose Kate’s (she was Doc Holiday’s girl friend) and it was very good and reasonable. They Crystal Bar is still the same as it was in Wyatt Earp’s time and the bar itself is huge and beautiful.

The original Bird Cage Theatre – admission fee, gunfight at the OK Corral – admission fee, Boothill Cemetery – admission fee – get the picture? We did pay the admission to tour the old court house and museum and it was very interesting and not touristy but factual. Also saw the courtyard at the court house with the gallows – gruesome. Anyways, it was an interesting day and we can now say we have been to Tombstone, site of the lawless wild west in the 1800’s.

Wednesday – January 18 – Today I was feeling crummy with my cold so we decided to just take it easy. John went into Benson and got his hair cut then came back and worked around the trailer. I did a bit of cleaning then spent the day loafing and reading. Tough life eh!

Thursday – January 19 – Today we decided we would visit Fort Huachuca (pronounced Wachuka) and the Coronado National Monument. Fort Huachuca is an active military base but has a museum etc open to the public, some of the public that is! When John went to get a pass we couldn’t get one as we are aliens – guess they think we will do something terrible to them. We were disappointed that we couldn’t see the fort and museum.

On then to the Coronado National Monument which is a National Park and Wildlife Reserve. We stopped at the visitor’s centre and watched a short film on Coronado’s quest to find cities of gold (a falsehood told to the Spaniards by a monk). There is a road to the top of the mountain with a fantastic view so off we went. The ranger at the visitor centre said the road was paved for the first mile then 2 miles of gravel but it was a good road. I should have known something was not quite what he said when he wished us a safe travel when we left!!! Well the first paved mile was fine but the gravel portion was narrow, washboardy, all switchbacks and extremely nerve racking! We got about 2/3 of the way to the top and there was a pull off with a beautiful view down into the valley and Mexico so we stopped, took some pictures and decided we had had enough and turned around and headed back down. I think we were both relieved when we again reached the paved part.

The ranger was saying that they have all kinds of animals in the park – bears, mountain lions, bobcats etc. as well as many different species of birds. It sure didn’t sound like a place where I would care to hike even though there were lots of hiking trails in the park. He had a picture of a mountain lion which had visited the visitors centre a week or so ago.

After we got back to the valley we decided we would go on to Bisbee. Copper was discovered there in 1880 and by the early 1900’s it was a town with over 22,000 people with the main work being mining. Once the mines stopped in the mid 50’s the town dwindled until the hippies found it in the 70’s and brought it back to life. It is now an artsy town (reminded us of Elora but on a much larger scale) and everything is built on hills, so quite pretty although the roads are a nightmare. I suggested we drive up one of the town roads and what a mistake that was as the road was very narrow with 2 way traffic and straight up hill. John finally managed to find a spot to turn around but not without making lots of weird noises which was his way of displaying his displeasure with my suggestion! Oh well, I thought it looked interesting!

We toured the local museum which was a history of the town as well as the mines and it was quite an interesting museum. In one of the rooms we saw a pitcher just like the crystal one we have that was a wedding present to John’s grandparents.

On the way home we stopped in Sierra Vista and finally managed to find a couple of towel bars that match what are in the bathroom so I am now happy that we will have enough towel bars.

Friday – January 20 – Today we just stayed around the trailer and took it easy. Met a couple from Thessalon and had a nice visit with them, they are leaving tomorrow and heading about 60 miles inland where they hope it will be warmer. John got the towel bars up so now I am happy.

Saturday – January 21 - Another nice but lazy day, laundry was calling so I got that done for a few more days. We got caught up on our phone calls and it was good to talk to everyone then we went into Benson for a few groceries and checked out an RV store looking for wheel chocks but the type we want just are not being made anymore.

Sunday – January 22 – Today John is trying to sort his photos and I am still trying to create a blog. The blog I have managed but it is putting in pictures that is driving me crazy. Oh well, we have to have some challenges in life! I am feeling much better with my cold so tomorrow we will do some more sightseeing.