March 28 - Albuquerque, NM

This was spring break for our grandchildren, Anna & William and they wanted to spend the time with us knowing that we'd do something different with them.

We sure did. We stayed at Elephant Butte Lake State Park, http://www.truthorconsequencesnm.net/area_eb_lake.htm. There was the afternoon at the Hot Springs in Truth or Consequences, NM. This was not like anything they've done before.

They wanted to go to the lake. William fished for a while and then started throwing rocks at the bobber. Oh well, we can always go out for fish dinner. Anna on the other hand was interested in getting the tan thing going before summer. It was a little too cold for my liking.

Then there was the trip to Chloride, NM. It was an hour drive on winding roads to the town. There are now only 10 people living there but what a history. You can find more information with pictures here, http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nm/chloride.html.

It also happened to be a time when the March winds kicked up. The last night there, we had very high winds. William kept asking if the RV would blow over. He sure did cuddle up that night.

March 21 - Albuquerque, NM

We are going to try something a little different with the blog. Rather than post every time we move, we are going to try a post each Saturday with a recap of the weeks events. We hope you find this blogging informative, interesting and a way to share in our life's adventures.

We left Smith Center, KS and headed back to Albuquerque. We had some of the best fried chicken ever in Hays, KS at Al's Chickenette. It was fabulous and so was the atmosphere. We'll definitely stop there again when we're in the area.

We stopped in Moriarty at RV Sales to say "HI" and decided to stay for a couple of days. We always enjoy the company there. We wound up giving a seminar on "Full Time RV'ing" on Saturday. There really is a lot of interest in our lifestyle. Next week, more excitement coming.

March 15 - 16 - Smith Center, KS

Did we ever luck out. The weather has been absolutely on our side, PERFECT. Smith Center is the factory location for Peterson Industries, the makers of our Exce RV. We are back here for some work that was scheduled back in December. As usual, the work was completed ahead of our expected time and still with the best customer service around. During this time in the economy, I'm especially glad I have this Excel. The company, in my humble opinion, is the best.

We spent the days traveling around the countryside and enjoying meals in the local diners. It is truely a treat hearing the world's problems being discussed by the people in the heartland.

The center of the U.S. is also nearby to the East. There were fun times meeting other Excel owners too.

March 14 - Russell, KS

Our drive to Russell, KS was uneventfull as far as weather was concerned. We left Dalhart with fog and freezing temperatures and great care. The further north we went though, the warmer and clearer it became. Hurray! It was a beautiful drive through the roads of Kansas arriving at the Triple J RV Park in the late afternoon.

Did you know that just 17 miles west of Russell, KS stands one of the 8 big attractions of Kansas? Saint Fidelis Church, built in 1909, is known as the "Cathedral of the Plains". What a magnificent structure. The stained glass windows were just georgous. What a role this church played and continous to play in the community.

We also drove around Russell and found that the streets are very similar to those that we had where we grew up on on the west side of Chicago. They were brick paved and who knows how old they are? You don't need speed bumps on these streets. You have to drive slow or else!

This is definitely "Heartland U.S.A." We really enjoy visiting these small towns and experiencing on a small scale how they influence the growth of our country.

March 13 - Dalhart, TX

The weather seems to be on our tail. It was a grey day for travel but no rain. We stopped in Moriarty at RV Sales & Service to turn in a warrenty part and wound up spending time with new RV owners John & Margaret. THey were just moving into their RV and had lots of questions regarding our experiences. Finally after 45 minutes, I had to suggest to Rose that unless she planned on a late night arrival, we had to leave.
Arrived at Dalhart, TX as an intermediate stop. Hopefully the weather will hold up. It's not looking too good for tomorrow. We just might have to wait out the storm. We'll see in the morning.

Feb 15 - March 12 - Albuquerque, NM

Back in Albuquerque and our job of helping with the grand kids begins. We had them stay with us in the RV for the whole time. That meant up early to get to school by 7:30. Nothing like trying to get up and going a full 30 - 45 minutes earlier than normal for the kids. Only for a short time, then the parents get to get them back. I wonder how well we can spoil them some more in a week.
We got more than we bargained for from the kids. We drop them off and come down with real bad colds. It was time to rest for a few days. The cough is the worst part.
Then it was time to work on the storage shed. Yes, we still have "stuff" in storage but have decided that it's time for it to go. We'll be resorting everything to get the "estate sale" over soon. Then we will really be "free" of the stuff.
It's amazing how fast time passes when you are busy. A month has passed already and we have to leave. We need to get warrenty work done on the RV, It's a trip back to the factory for this one. Hopefully the weather will be nice to us. Smith Center, KS isn't exactly a tropical island this time of the year.

Feb 13 - 14 - Moriarty, NM

RV Full Timing! That's the theme of the 2 one hour plus seminars that Rose and I gave over the past two days. We are finding that more and more people want to sit and find out how they can get to live the life that we have chosen. It was a real joy to share the stories and laughs that we have had over the past 10 months.
I wonder if there is a book in here somewhere? Time will tell.

Feb 11 - 12 - Albuquerque, NM

Well, we are back were we started from last April, Albuquerque, NM. We stayed at American RV Park on the west side of Albuquerque. It has the all important hot tub and if we want, a continental breakfast.
Our daughter, Rebecca, and son-in-law, Joel, are in the New Mexico Air National Guard and are scheduled to have an inspection to test the readiness of the unit. During this time, much like if they were deployed, they need help with the children. That's where we come in. It's our blessing to be able to help them out, support their efforts to insure our countries liberties, and spend great time with the grand kids.
We were able to surprise Anna and William by picking them up from school. The hugs were worth the world to us. Grand kid hugs are always invaluable. We can't believe how much they have grown in such a short time. It won't be long and they'll be adults.
Now it's off to Moriarty and RV Sales & Service for a couple of days.

Feb 5 - 11 - Elephant Butte Lake, NM

Lakside RV Park in Elephant Butte, NM was our stop for a few days. This is a very active RV park with a lot of long term people. There is the morning coffee with donuts meeting to help share information and "solve" the world's problems.
This is a good time for us to take a drive to Emory Pass in the Gila Forest. Talk about scenery. It was absolutely georgous. The road was winding and thank goodness we didn't attempt it with the RV. We could have made it but it would have really been slow going. We found out that there was a huge silver mine and there used to be a railroad to the top. Wow! What people had accomplished in days of old can be mind boggling at times. What they did by hand, mule and whatever other means available, they were a real hardy bunch.
Then is was a stop in Hillsboro, NM for a snack/lunch. Remember, our goal is to find the best eating across the U.S. This cafe was opened in 1879 and from the looks of some of the antiques inside, there is some of the original things still there. They sure make a great breakfast buritto. Talk about "filling the void." Then it was a walk through the art galleries. It's a good thing we only have so much room in the RV. We enjoy the work and leave it all for others who follow us to also enjoy their work.



On another day, we spent the time exploring the area around Elephant Butte. We were able to see the reason it got it's name. Here also, like Canyon Lake in Texas, the water level is really low . I hope that this coming year will bring good rain fall to all.

Now it's off to Albuquerque.

Feb 3 - 4 - City or Rocks State Park, NM

What a gem in the middle of "No Where", New Mexico. Popping out of the flat lands north of Deming is the "City of Rocks" State Park. We had attended an astronomy class here one night in January and decided to come back for a few days to explore it a little more.

There are wonderful walking trails through and around the rocks. One can spend days exploring this magnificant place.

One of the other surprising things we encountered was the absence of sound, silence. It came almost as a shock as we stood on a lookout point and stopped. We heard nothing. there was no wind, road or animal noises at that time. Nothing but the sound of our breathing. What an experience. We were amazed at just how noisy our everyday lives are.

The park is very nice for camping. We had water and electric at our site. We were very comfortable. This is a place that we will revisit once again.