Fossils (no, I'm not talking about us!)

 Since our return from Yellowstone we've been fortunate in taking a few shorter trips and discovered a new interest.

It started with a day trip to Fossil Butte National Monument in Wyoming - about 1 4 hour drive from Brigham City.  The first part took us on familiar routes - up to Logan and through the spectacular Logan Canyon to Bear Lake, with the promise of a raspberry shake on the way home.  From there a relatively short drive - you know you're in Wyoming when the roads are straight (did Romans found Wyoming? (lol)).

Fossil Butte is surprising.  Although it's ow high desert, millions of years ago it was part of a vast inland sea.  The visitor center (which is open and practicing social distancing) has well preserved fossils of fish, reptiles, birds (many similar to the birds we're seeing this summer) and even some mammals.  The sabre toothed cat was in evidence, but so was a smaller feline called a Lake Cat, about the size of a bobcat and now, of course, extinct.

As well as the fossils, we saw dioramas of life along the shores of the ancient sea, as well as within it.  After getting our fill, we went on a 1.5 mile "nature trail" with Vicky disagreeing with the NPS assessment of it as easy.  Didn't see any wildlife bigger than a small lizard, but the scenery was great.  We were also able to drive through the mountainous areas of the monument before starting the long journey back to the Refuge.  We picked up brochures on other National Park sites concerning fossils, and seem to have a new interest.  More trips to come.

Stopped for dinner in Garden City on Bear Lake on the way back.  The burgers were good, but the best thing about this small town is the fresh raspberry shakes,  This one came complete with seeds, so we know it was authentic.  Confirms the fact that I LOVE BEAR LAKE RASPBERRIES.

Coming up next, and overnight trip to the Hagerman Horse.

September 2020 update

Well, faithful followers of the blog, I haven't been able to keep it up this summer.  I'm not going to make excuses, but I AM going to create some posts listing highlights of the summer.  We did return to Promontory and saw both of the replica engines from the completion of the transcontinental railroad.  If you're ever within 100 miles, it's definitely worth a visit.  The engines are beautifully turned out, and the ranger programs informative and fun.

We were able to take 10 days vacation in August and drive up to Yellowstone National Park, which is just over 200 miles from here.  There was supposed to be a family reunion, but due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the rest of the family decided to postpone it until next year, not wanting to fly.  We're going to be back here next summer (more of that in another post to come) and so will be a part of that reunion.  But since we're so near, we elected to make a trip this year.

We stayed at Henry's Lake campground in Island Park, Idaho for 5 nights.  Vicky made an inspired choice of site, getting us a pull-through space with an uninterrupted view of the lake.  We have invested in a pair of blow-up kayaks and were planning to take them out on the lake, but as things turned out, other activities became the priority.  We were close to West Yellowstone, MT, the western gateway to the park, and had dinner in town the first night.  This was our only meal out, as we took picnics into the park each day.  

We ate at the Slippery Otter Pub, where they asked us to wait outside until our table was ready, and had tables separated.  They specialize in exotic (read elk, bison, lamb) burgers.  I had the lamb and it was wonderful.  Vicky opted for the daily special and was equally impressed.  Definitely a "go back to" place when we're up there next year, if the family agrees.

Yellowstone is a B I G park and since we had a 15 mile drive from the campground just to get to the gate, we chose our destinations carefully.  WE decided to avoid popular spots like "Old Faithful", which we cisited many years ago, and with the help of a wonderful book - Yellowstone Treasures - were able to find lesser known but equally beautiful spots, like the Artists Paint Pots, a series of hot pools of varying colors, due to minerals and live bacteria - like creatures,  The area has an easy to navigate boardwalk, and also a steep climb which gives you an overview of the site.  We did at least part of both, and returned later in the week with our new friends Tim and Jessica.

But that story, including how we met our new friends and some pictures, is for the next post, which I plan on completing in much less than3 months!

A visit to Promontory Summit

Time to talk about the railroad.  I've been working on preparing classes I'll be teaching online, so the blog has had to take a back seat.  I promise to try to write a little every day.

We did visit the Golden Spike National Monument arriving on the first day the engines (or at least one of them) were given an outing for the summer.  We got to see the coal drive Union Pacific locomotive number 119, which participated in the last spike ceremony with the Central Pacific's wood burning "Jupiter".  The reason for the difference in fuels is geographical.  The UP was based in the east, where coal is plentiful, which the CP had build through the foests on the Sierra Nevada mountains, where of course trees grow in abundance.  Jupiter will join her neighbor later this summer, when she gets new tires!

We learned a lot from ranger Lucas, including that neither of these engines was supposed to be there.  The Central Pacific President's "Special" was pulled by the "Antelope".  This train closely followed a regularly scheduled train pulled by the Jupiter. Passing through a logging area, the Antelope was struck by a felled tree.  The woodmen hadn't known that 2 trains were coming through.  So the Jupiter took over and entered history.

No. 119 replaced an engine which was hijacked by a group of unpaid railroad employees who kidnapped UP Vice President Thomas Durant on his way to the ceremony to demand the wages they were owed.  They did get paid and released him, but meanwhile a flood had washed away some of the supports on the Devils Gate bridge.  The engineer refused to risk the heavy engine on the bridge, but did push the lighter passenger cars over.  So they had to find a replacement, and number 119 was stationed in Ogden, Utah.

The flag flying over the Golden Spike site has 20 stars, as did the flag actually used for the famous photograph.  The only problem with this is that the US Flag has not had 20 stars since  Illinois became the 21st State in 1818. The railroad was completed in 1869, at which time the flag had 37 flags.  (Nebraska, number 27, had been admitted 2 years previously.)

It seems nobody had thought of bringing a flag to the ceremony, but one of the people found a flag in his backpack.  That flag had 20 stars, and the National Park Service has continued the tradition!  By the way, the "Golden Spike" on display is merely god plated.  The original golden spike was removed after the ceremony.  Probably a good idea as it would otherwise have become somebody's souvenir.

It was commissioned by David Hewes, brother 9n law of Central Pacific president Leland Stanford.  Mr. Hewes took it back to California and eventually donated it to Stanford University, where it still resides.

The locomotives are brightly pained and faithful to the original photograph, although of course the actual colors are not known.  We got to see No. 119 steam along the track and stop at the spot where it would have faced Jupiter.  We plan on returning later this summer to see both locomotives.

Definitely recommended, especially if you're a railroad buff.  By the way, both original locomotives were scrapped in the early 20th Century.  But the replicas do work!

DIscovering natural beauty and water pressure issues

A week has gone by and we're getting to know the refuge and the area.  There's a family of what we think are Harris hawks living in a nest in a tree right on our property.  These hawks are not supposed to be prevalent here, but close up examination of a photo Vicky took confirms they sure look like Harris harks!

We've been out on the reserve again, and enjoyed spotting pelicans as well as sandhill cranes.  We think there are cranes near the RV, as we hear their distinctive calls in the morning.  On a trip up to Logan we actually saw some sandhill cranes in the hills, which is unusual.  We also have frequent visitors in the form of a herd of cows that is moved around the reserve to help in keeping down the grass.

We finally met Mike, who dropped by with a Covid19 survival kit - masks, gloves, sanitizer and more, plus a list of the relevant federal regulations we have to follow to prevent spread of the disease.  At present we're following everything without trying, since we're not working!  We've also had a phone call with Alyssa, the newly appointed park ranger, with whom we'll be working when the time comes.  She has previously worked here, so she'll be a great source of information.

Mike also dropped off a copy of the refugee's development plan along with brochures on the refuge and other places worth visiting in the area, which have triggered some exploratory trips as well as lots of learning about the purpose of the refuge and plans for its future.  More about that anon.

We had one exciting experience.  We mentioned to Mike that the water pressure in the RV was low, and he sent Rod, one of the maintenance team, to help us.  Rod, who boasts a very impressive moustache, had us try disconnecting the water filter/pressure regulator we had attached to our water hose.  Although this had given no problems before, he thought there might have been mud or other stuff in the water when we first turned it on, since it hasn't been used for a number of years.  This might have clogged the filter.

Running the water directly into the RV hose solved the pressure problem and we resolved to go out and buy a replacement filter/regulator soon.  Several hours later Vicky discovered we had no water in the RV!  I went outside and discovered water gushing madly out of a 1-inch hole in the pipe - the pressure was now high enough to break thru the weak point in the hose!  I turned off the water, of course, but was worried that the spray had been going onto the electrical junction box.  Vicky pointed out that that box had to withstand wind and rain and must be insulated, and indeed it gave us no problems.

Since I insist on keeping our fresh water tank full we had water in the RV overnight.  Rod turned up in the morning and when we explained what had happened he insisted on getting us a replacement hose, filter and regulator, so now we've as good as new!  But it was an exciting experience.

We also removed the weeds from the cracks in the concrete pad (or rather Vicky removed most of them and I helped a little).  I wish I'd taken a "before" picture.  The "after" picture just looks like a concrete pad should.  The missing "before" picture might have made you think we' were volunteering in a jungle!  The place is now  beginning to look like home.

As I said earlier we've been exploring the area.  Beyond Logan, US89 travels through a spectacular gorge known as Logan Canyon, following the Logan river.  This triggered a discussion about what makes a canyon different from a gorge (no definitive answer) as well as comments about the natural features (snow-capped mountains, raging rapids and several named "Summer homes" not managed by the National Parks Service).  Of course none of these are open right now, so that's another mystery.

In the direction we took it, Route 89 travels steadily uphill for over 40 miles, so the vegetation changes - at the over 7,000ft summit there are spruce trees.  Once at the top you have a quick (hopefully not too quick) descent down 8% grades to the village of Garden City, on Bear Lake.  The first view of the lake is breathtaking, and as we later traveled along the shore we noted that this is a place to come back to for a couplie of days when we have the time off.  We also noted NOT to take the RV thru Logan Canyon or down the 8% grade!

Garden City is a small resort village on the lake shore and was very quiet the day we visited.  It has boat rentals, guest houses and restaurants.  We stopped at Ephraim's place for lunch.  While waiting for our (very tasty) barbecue bacon cheeseburgers and fries I learned that Ephraim was a huge grizzly bear who was responsible for the deaths of over 150 sheep in the early part of the 20th century.  He successfully eluded capture for many years, often moving a trap from the mud pool he liked to visit, and putting it on the bank.  I won't trouble you with the details of how Ephraim was eventually killed, but I WILL tell you his restaurant is worth a visit.

The other specialty of the area is raspberries, much to my delight.  Ephraim's raspberry shakes are to die for!  Faced with the spectacular my nerve0racking trip back down Logan Canyon, we opted for a longer, but less harrowing route home.  The beautiful sunny day we had left in Brigham City had turned windy and rainy at these heights, and Vicky was worried that whichever way we went we might run into snow!

In the event the journey up the shore of Bear Lake took us though farm country and small towns, and into Idaho.  We passed a Romanesque Mormon Tabernacle in the small town of Paris, reportedly designed by one of the sons of Brigham Young.  Apparently they though they were in Utah until a survey showed it was Idaho.  Between the towns of Ovid (very cultured pioneers around here, naming towns after Roman writers!) and Preston (nothing like the one in Lancashire I remember from my childhood) we ventured up and down a mountain, hitting heavy rain at one point but no snow.

Once in Preston the weather cleared, and it was a straight 30 mile drive back to Logan, Utah and home to Quill, who was still asleep when we got back but soon rose to greet us.  There's lots more to see around here, including the spot where the Golden Spike was driven to complete the transcontinental railroad - only 42 miles from Brigham City, and that may be our next trip.

We feel really lucky to be in this beautiful and peaceful place, especially with time on our hands, at a time when disease and riots are erupting around the country.  We are very blessed.

Life as a volunteer during Covid-19

It's Friday afternoon, our fifth day at Bear River Migratory Bird Sanctuary, and while we've done a lot of exploring and setting up, we still have no formal duties.  We had a phone call with Mike, our boss, on Tuesday morning and he explained the situation.  His main concern is that we're well settled and comfortable here.  Our only duties are to research a comfortable outside table, chairs and shade that he will get for us and future volunteers, and to put together a list of things future volunteers should know before they arrive.

We've explored Brigham City and discovered a wonderful bakery that makes great breads and cookies.  So far we've sampled a potato cheese bread that was crusty and tasty, and a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie.  This is another place that may become a regular for us.  We drove up to Logan to stock up at Sam's Club, and discovered a creperie.  Don't know about their regular food because the special was a crepe filled with ice cream and raspberries and topped with whipped cream, so that was lunch.  The crepe itself was light and fluffy, which Vicky also confirmed with hers.

Logan is a university town (Utah State) but of course there are no students there right now, and the town was relatively quiet.  The 25 mile drive up there was spectacular, especially as there is still snow on the higher mountains around here.  Since the days have warmed up (highs close to 90) the snow tends to melt during the day but it's back in the mornings.  Other than a few rain squalls one evening we haven't had any precipitation her on the refuge.

On our first full day here we investigated the Visitor Center (or more properly the Education Center) which of course is closed.  However, there are two trails just outside.  We walked the shorter one, which is paved, but left the longer unpaved one for another day.  We briefly saw a mole, along with evidence of his track route, but other than a few swallows we didn't see many birds.  It was getting towards sunset so we took the auto route.

This involves a 12 mile drive down paved Forest Street (where we're staying) with the refuge on both sides of the road after the first few miles.  We stopped several times, identifying various  birds including a Harris hawk, but it was at the end of Forest, when we joined the unpaved auto tour route, that we realized what a treasure this place is.

We got close up views of several American avocets, with their distinctive orange-pink necks,  several yellow headed blackbirds, which we've searched in many laces but never seen.  They really are a beautiful bird.  And for good measure, the more common but still striking red winged blackbird.
Lots of wading birds including a green heron and varieties of stilt, and of course swallows.

The California seagull might be a surprise to you since we're close to 1,000 miles from the Pacific, but of course we're right next to the Great Salt Lake, and these gulls are quite common close to inland salt water.  They were everywhere.  But what charmed us most, as the sun headed towards the horizon, were the Canada geese.  A common sight across the western USA as they migrate, you say.  Why charming?  The answer is families.  We saw several, with the mom leading the way across the water (and sometimes across the road!) followed by her flock of from one to six chicks, with dad keeping watch at the rear.

SInce the gate to the auto tour threatened to be locked at sunset, we made sure we were out by then, and enjoyed the sun creeping up the mountains and turning the snow pink as it headed towards the horizon.  We'll definitely be back, and taking lots of photographs, although in places the car was surrounded by midges so I'm not sure I'll want to get out!

I'm sure you'll hear more about the sanctuary over the summer, and also get some photos, but I'll leave this story at this point for now.

Update on Quill end of May 2020

If you've been following my blog since the beginning you know that we started our travels with 2 cats.  We lost Cosette on New Year's Eve 2018 - she was at least 20 and passed peacefully.

Quill has continued with us,  We would never have thought it possible, but since she's become "the cat" she's become even more affectionate and spends a lot of time in our laps.  If I'm computing or Vicky is reading, chances are Quill is right there with us,   She even joins us in the bathroom.

When we're traveling, she's usually either in the copilot's lap or lying on the dashboard enjoying the view.  Her 20th birthday was in January of this year, meaning she's far exceeded the lifespan of the average Abyssinian cat.   Although we've always had cats throughout our marriage, nobody has ever stolen our hearts the way Quill has.  Never having been blessed with human children, she's become our child and very much a member of the family.

So we're worrying about her at the moment as her health seems to be deteriorating.  We took her in to Banfield (the vet at Petsmart where she and Cosette have had regular care for years) for her regular checkup before we left.  We were worried about loss of weight and her being off her food.  Our longtime vet is on leave of absence looking after her mother, but instead of her partner, Dr. Semick, Quill was seen by a temporary vet who performed a lot of tests and told us Quill has kidney disease (which we already knew).  She gave us a prescription, but the test results were not offered until we requested a copy.  Even then, they were not discussed with us.

2 days later, having seen no change in Quill's health or behavior, Vicky called Dr. Semick who said the medicine needs several days to work and not to worry.  Next week, now in Cottonwood, we got an emergency appointment with the local vet who told us Quill was dehydrated but more importantly, the Banfield tests showed a high white blood cell count, which indicated an infection.  She did a further test and found Quill did indeed have an e-coli infection.

So now we have a couple of bags of saline solution and we give Quill water under the skin every day.  She's usually pretty good about it at first, sitting in my lap.  but gets impatient if it takes too long.  She also has medicine for the infection, for arthritis (another long term problem) and her regular medicines that are mixed in with her food.

We also have prescription kidney diet for her.  We were mixing her regular food, the kidney prescription and the various medicines until Quill decided she didn't like the combination of tastes.   So now we feed the food one type at a time, adding a little medicine and this seems to be working as she is at least eating again.

Quill remains loving, but has difficulty leaping up onto the counter, and we're doing everything we can to make sure she's getting a good quality of life.  Neither of us really wants to admit it, but we're both worried about how much longer she will be with us.  She's brought so much joy into our lives (and hopefully we've done the same for her) so every day we have with her now is an extra blessing.

I'll keep you informed, and the next post will bring you up to date on life here at Bear River.

Arriving in Bear River

The Springville KOA is right next to I-15 but is still quiet and shady, and we take a walk around in the cool evening.  I don't think I mentioned that the temperature in Junction yesterday night dropped to 29 degrees F, so tonight's low if 40 is relatively balmy.  The KOA park boasts 3 covered wagons, which look just like the prairie schooners that brought settlers west in the 19th century.

We chat to a family who are staying in one, and they let us take a peek inside.  These covered wagons are air conditioned and boast a queen bed, two bunk beds and a table and chairs.  No bathroom, but there are communal showers etc. in the park.  We think they're cool!  After a peaceful night in the park, we cross the road to refresh to propane in the RV (29 degree nights require using the heating!) and then head up I015 to Bear River.  

This is a relatively short journey, entirely on I-15 through the center of Salt Lake City and its metro area.  I drive all day and generally find it easy.  Today is Memorial Day which is a Holiday, so the traffic is not too heavy.  Although it's a multi-lane highway I stay mostly in the extreme right hand lane - with the RV being so wide I don't like having traffic on both sides, most of which is usually passing us.  The only stressful part for me is several miles of construction - no work going on today but there's a wall right next to our lane, which I have to avoid while still keeping clear of passing traffic on the other side.  Apart from one scary moment where a pickup truck was parked on the narrow shoulder sticking into our lane, it's not a problem.  Vicky later confides she found it stressful - probably because of my driving.

By mid afternoon we're at Brigham City, "Gateway to the World's Greatest Migratory Bird Sanctuary" according to the neon sign in its main street.  We don't go into town at this point since the Visitor Center where we'll be volunteering is right by the highway,  We pull into the large but mostly empty parking lot and unhitch the car.  The Visitor Center is closed sine die due to the pandemic, but they've still welcomed us to come up.

Just a quarter mile up the road we find the "bunkhouse", actually a house where visiting firefighters stay, and next to it is our RV pad.  There's a car parked next to the house, but nobody there.  The RV space is a concrete pad, rather overgrown with nettles 4 feet high in places to the side.  WE can see the electric and water hookup posts but no sign of the sewer.  We search around for a while with no success, and decide to come back with the RV and use our garden tools to clear some of the bush and hopefully find the sewer.  We also discover the beginnings of a wasp nest right inside the electrical junction box!

We bring the RV out.  We have to pack it into the yard and onto the pad, but with her driving skills and my directions, Vicky's able to do that.  We get out the clippers and the rake and after a while find the sewer hole.  It's surprisingly far forward and we have to move the RV to be able to reach it, but we're still on the concrete pad so no problem.  We also hook up the water.

At this point we meet Stephen, the young firefighter who's staying in the bunkhouse, and his girlfriend.  Stephen finds us some wasp killer and after a liberal spraying and knocking off what's left of the nest, I'm able to hook out 50 amp connection and flip the switch.  No power!  It's Vicky who spots a junction box on the wall of the nearby garage and I find that turning on the circuit breaker labelled "RV Pad" is the key to getting us power.

So we're hooked up and ready to set out the grill, table and chairs, level the RV and extend the slideouts.  We feed Quill (she'll get her own post soon!) and Vicky goes to light the grill, only to discover there's no gas getting through to it!  I had the cylinder willed in Springville at the same time as the RV, so I know it's full.  But it soon becomes clear that no gas is coming out of the cylinder.

At this pojnt since we're both tired, Vicky suggests we go into Brigham City and find a place to eat, and I'm totally in agreement.  But I do remember watching the guy fill the cylinder.  I noticed him playing around with a screwdriver on the neck, and soon find the screw.  I start to unscrew it and propane starts leaking out.  I tighten the screw until I can no linger hear leaking gas, and find that I've solved the whole problem.  I guess the guy tightened the screw too much!

But we do go into Brigham City, discovering the aforementioned sign across Main Street, as well as the mature sycamore trees on both sidewalks.  It's quite magical!  There's not much in the way of restaurants that are open, but at the far end of Main we find Firehouse Pizzeria.  We don't know how it is, but we do know that Stephen lives it because there's an empty box in the garbage back at the bunkhouse.

They're open for dine in as well as take out, and they find us a quiet booth.  Our waitress, Abby, rings us a large pizza with delightfully light but tasty crust and our choice - a combination of meat and veggies.  We could probably have finished the whole thing but we settle for half since I've seen the dessert menu.  They do cookies, cooked in a skillet and topped with ice cream, whipped cream and drizzled with various sauces.  My lemon cookie comes topped with raspberry sauce and the only problem I have  with it is making sure I get every last bite.  A great find, and like Arnold Schwartznegger, we'll be back!

We're considerably north of Arizona here, and Utah, unlike AZ, observes daylight savings time, so we're able to enjoy a spectacular sunset over the refuge when we return home.  Tomorrow we have a phone call with our new boss, but from first impressions this was a good choice!

On the road again in 2020

We're signed up for two volunteer opportunities this year - at Bear River National Migratory Bird Sanctuary near Brigham City, Utah from now until mid august, and at Aztec Ruins National Monument in Aztec New Mexico for September and October.

We were due at Bear River on May 1st but had to delay for medical - and RV repair issues.  They were OK with this since our job will be to man the Visitor Center, and said Visitor Center is closed indefinitely due to the pandemic.  They said we're still welcome to come - we get a free hookup for the RV in return for 20 hours per week of service.  Until it does open, we'll be doing other, as yet unspecified tasks - stay tuned to this blog.

This is our third night out of Cottonwood.  On Friday we were ready to go about 10am and hooked up the tow car.  We were doing our routine check of the lights - brake lights and turn signals on the car - when Vicky heard a strange rhythmic noise from the car - in sync with the flashing of the turn signals.  After various unsuccessful unpluggings and repluggings, and consultation of the not very helpful user's manual, Vicky had a brainwave.  

The noise was coming from a gadget we had installed inside the car, which operates the car brakes in conjunction with the RV brakes. We'd already tried adjusting the sensitivity of this device, as suggested by the manual, to no avail.  Since the car is doubly hard-connected to the RV with the hitch, this is not absolutely necessary.  We turned off that gadget and checked that the lights (turn and brake) on the car still worked in tandem with the RV - they did!  So we set off, planning to contact the shop who installed the gadget for us on Tuesday (this is the Memorial Day long weekend!)

So at 11:30 we were on the road.  Destination tonight - Page AZ, a 200 or so mile drive we've done vefore in both directions with the RV.  No traffic or road conditions stopped us as we drove up I-17 to Flagstaff and briefly along the poorly maintained I-40, to reach US Route 89, which we would follow for the next 3 days.  We made it to Page in a little over 4 hours and checked into the Page-Lake Powell campground, where we've stayed before.

On our previous visit, we checked in, went for a cruise on Lake Powell, ate dinner in town, slept and left early for a long trip to Gallup NM.  So we really didn't see much of the campground.  This time we took time to look around.  Not only is the campground well maintained, it's right up against some red rocks, and has great views.  We walked along a so-called nature trail which took us right up against the rocks, which have irregular striations.  It was a beautiful warm evening and as the sun set, we were able to watch the changing of colors on the red rocks - a magical experience!

Saturday morning and we're back on US89.  we cross the Colorado River close to the Glen Canyon dam, passing the Karl Hayden Visitor Center, which triggers a discussion about who Karl Hayden is/was!  I later discover he was the first Representative in Congress after Arizona became a State in 2012, and later served 7 terms (42 years) as a Senator for AZ,rising to President Pro Tempore of the US Senate (third in line for the Presidency after the VP and the Speaker of the House) and being revered as an elder statesman . . . and neither Vicky nor I had ever heard of him!

It's a beautiful morning and after stopping in Kanab Utah to fill the RV, we head thru familiar country, at first red rocks and later ranchland, until we reach the turnoff of Utah Route 14 to Cedar City.  Not going there this time!  We continue north on US89 enjoying the ranch country, stopping the RV to make lunch in a little town called Hatch.  Unlike its New Mexico counterpart, this one has no chilis.  But it does have a little café just up the road from where we parked, and we're able to cap off the meal with scrumptious straight-out-of-the-over chocolate chip cookies.

From Hatch it's only 49 miles to Junction, UT, the 177-person county seat of Paiute County, where we spend the night at a delightful, and inexpensive RV park with lots of shade trees.  We thought at first they were cedars, but finally decided they were cottonwoods.  On Sunday morning we decide to explore the town - as the camp host said, it didn't take long.  We did discover that the original 1903 courthouse is for sale for $469,000.  Remembering our time in Thames, New Zealand, where the courthouse has become the Baha'i Center, we thought this would also serve the Faith well, but in a town this small it wouldn't be economically viable.

journey is a relatively short 115 miles to Springville, a suburb of Provo, UT, where we're staying at a KOA.  But for that you'll need to read the next post.

The Cat Connector - a summary of the winter and Spring

I never did finish the 2019 trip.  Beyond Las Cruces we got our stabilizers fixed in Deming by the company that had installed them incorrectly, then traveled thru the White Mountains via Glendale New Mexico and Alpine AZ and eventually arrived back in Peoria.

A stressful tax season in 2020 - the Covid-19 scare didn't help, but we made it thru and both declined the offer to continue doing taxes after the government extended the deadline until July 15.

The start of our travels was again delayed, first by the epidemic, then by a doctor appointment for Vicky, but now we're on the road, so let's get you up to date.

We left Peoria on May 2nd.  We had hoped to stay at Thousand Trails where we are members, but they weren't taking new arrivals for health reasons.  I found Rio Verde RV Park, a real gem on the Verde River just at the northern end of Cottonwood on AZ 89A.  Lots of shady cottonwood trees (what else) and easy access to the high desert.

In the middle of this we drove the RV back to Phoenix to have some repairs done to the valves in the sewer system.  It was covered under the extended warranty but we had tp stay in a Residence Inn for 4 nights until the shop got approval from the warranty company whose computers were down for 2 weeks!  Quill enjoyed the small suite, sleeping on the bad most of the day.

This period included our 41st Anniversary and it turned out that The Melting Pot opened that day after the mandatory closure.  We'd decided not to eat out for fear of exposure but The Melting Pot has private booths (with curtains, even!) so we could be isolated.  It's a fondue restaurant we had discovered for my birthday, and we went for the 4 course dinner.  A cheese fondue with veggies and bread to dip starts you out. . With several choices we opted for one with Hatch green chilies (which you'll remember I had trouble finding in Hatch New Mexico last year.  It also included several exotic cheeses whose names escape me now.

Second course a choice of salads - all fresh.  Mine included blue cheese and bacon.  Then a choice of meats and/or seafood - we did the combo - beef, pork, chicken, shrimp and salmon.  Everything is served raw and you cook it yourself.  They have several broths you can fondue it on but we chose to grill it ourselves at the table.  It comes with small new potatoes, asparagus, squash and peppers which you also cook yourself - the chefs were great!

For dessert, a choice of chocolate fondue - we went for the yin-yang, a mixture of white and dark chocolate artfully displayed with the yin-yang symbol.  We destroyed the art by dipping an assortment of fruits and cakes into it.  A great way to celebrate, although we'll be limiting restaurant meals for a while.

Back in Cottonwood e took evening walks each day, either in the desert or just along the road into town - 1.5 miles each way.  Not a lot of social interactions because of the pandemic, but wee did make friends with Karen and her cat Willie in the RV next door.  I should say Vicky made friends with Willie - he doesn't like men and even the Phil charm didn't work!  We also ventured out to a local restaurant - Bocce Pizzeria and shared a light 3 meat pizza (Meat Pie Pizza!) as well as a wonderful ravioli salad (don't knock it until you've tried it!).

I'm writing this in Springville, Utah.  I'll post this now and write another post to tell you how we got here.

Discovering Eastern New Mexico

Discovering Eastern New Mexico

As you know if you’ve been following the blog, I’m a chile fanatic.  This time of year, everwhere in New Mexico is featuring Hatch Chiles, and Vicky has agreed to humor me by taking us to the annual Hatch Chile Festival this year. 


We’re staying for four nights at Caballo Lakes State Park just off I-25.  For the first 3 nights we almost have the place to ourselves.  We’re close to the lake, in an area with trees and open spaces, and with a full hook-up.  NM State Parks have to be the best value, with full hook-ups at the same price our would pay for no connections in a National Park.  There’s not a lot going on in the park, which is fine with us as we’ve come for the solitude.


The journey here was easy, passing the White Sands Missile Range and turning north just north of Las Cruces (which will be our next stop).  This is part of the Camino Real, the Royal Road used by the Spanish explorers.  We’re following the Rio Grande at this point.  Our first evening is a quiet one, exploring the park and looking (unsuccessfully) for the source of the deer droppings we see in the campgrounds.


We’re only about 20 miles from Truth of Consequences which, I discover, was named Hot Springs before adopting the name of the TV show in 1950.  I discover that Riverbend Hot Springs offers private tubs overlooking the Rio Grande at a reasonable rate, so we spend a relaxing hour in our own spa bath.  Vicky spends quite a bit of the time sitting on the deck between dips.  I also get out of the water a few times, but not as much as Vicky.  I will regret this decision later as I start to feel faint while taking my shower afterwards, but fortunately the nausea passes quickly.


There’s not a lot to do in “T or C”, as the 1,500 locals call it, but we do find a local restaurant with great chile cheeseburgers, and then spend the afternoon in the Geronimo Springs Museum.  This features about 15 rooms of exhibits from a pioneer cabin to historical features on the Apaches, and there troubles in the 19^th Century.  There’s a whole section on Ralph Edwards and the Truth of Consequences TV show.  In 1950 the show reached its 10^th Anniversary and Edwards offered to host the show in a town if it would change its name.  He was more than generous, becoming a local celebrity and visiting the town regularly for over 25 years.  The museum features mementoes of those years including a movie hosted by Edwards.  The movie includes a segment from the show, which I never remember seeing.


We enjoy a quiet day at the park, then decide to visit Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, which we saw on a sign off I 25.  It turns out to be 100 miles each way, so we are going to make a full day of it.  I check the gas tank in the car and discover we need to fill up first.  There are no gas stations near the park, but Vicky finds one at an RV park a few miles up the road.  I pull in and the price – over $1 per gallon more than anywhere else – floors me, so we decide to fill up at one of the small towns along the way.


The road takes us across the desert and up into the mountains – very scenic but also very twisty and in places narrow.  We take it easy and enjoy the journey, but by the time we come to the last small town that might have a gas station, we’ve decided that if there’s no gas here we’ll use Plan B and detour to Silver City.  We will up there and although we cold still go to the Cliff Dwellings, we’ll be too late for the ranger tour so we decide to check out Silver City instead.


This turns out to be an inspired decision.  We know ahead of time that Billy the Kid grew up here after his family left NYC, and right next to the Visitor Center is a log cabin.  Although it’s on the site where The Kid lived, his mother’s cabin was torn down in 1884.  This one was brought to the site by director Ron Howard for a movie shoot, and he donated it to the town.  So we’re still following the young outlaw!


But that’s not the big discovery.  Right behind the Visitor Center is “The Big Ditch”, a 50 foot canyon created in the late 19^th Century by major floods of the river which wiped out the town’s Main Street.  The story is that early settlers cut down all the trees in the high country surrounding the town.  This left an open channel for the spring high waters that had previously been absorbed by the forest, hence the devastation.


The city’s main street is now one block back from the Ditch, and armed with a pamphlet describing the history of many of the buildings, we spend a fun hour or tow learning about the “old west” architecture as well as some of the colorful characters in the town’s past.  Were also able to check out some of the stores and meet many of the friendly locals – they’re so friendly, in fact, that we’ll just leaving one store after 20 minutes or so inside when the owner turns up – we had the place to ourselves until then.


We enjoy coffee and another of those green chile cheeseburgers, then retrace our steps to the campground.  We’ve come so far west that we’re only 50 miles or so from Deming, which we’re visiting next week, but it would be along detour to go back to the park that way, so we get to enjoy the mountain ride again.  Don’t think I mentioned the 3 deer we saw at the highest point on the road on our way here.  Well, on the way back, the same 3 deer, who ran away when our car approached, are there again, and get to repeat the retreat!


Next morning it’s time to leave.  Just a short drive takes us to Las Cruces where we’ll spend the next 2 nights, but having settled into the campground there we hop in the car and head back up  I-25 to Hatch for the afore mentioned Festival.  Their advertising says that 30,000 people come for the 2 day Festival.  WE drive through the town passing many places where we can buy the local crop, and pay the $20 admission fee to the “Festival”.  Thanks, Vicky, for indulging me, but on reflection I wish we’d just bought some peppers in town.


The Festival is on the grounds of the local airport.  If the airport has runways or a terminal building, we don’t see them.  Nor do we see any source of shade, and it’s a hot day.  There are 2 performance stages.  We’ve just missed a ventriloquist at one of them, and the next act, a singer, is among the missing.  WE walk through the vendor area (lots of spices in jars and packets, as well as other stalls unrelated to the chile theme) and find the other stage.  There’s a food place next to the stage so we share an expensive plate of boring chile cheese fries while listening to an average Country Western band.


Time to return to Las Cruces, and I still didn’t get the chiles I wanted.  As we’re heading for the exit I do manage to get a large bag of hot peppers for $2 and a small bag of roasted chiles for $1.  So all is not lost!  But I did get to attend the celebration.  If we come to this area next year I think we’ll just come into town to buy the chiles and leave!


Our park in Las Cruces is pleasant and shaded.  We had planned to go to the Farm and Ranch Museum but many of the exhibits are outside and it’s hot, so we’ll save that for a cooler day.  We spend Sunday shopping for supplies and take in a movie, enjoying some quiet time.