Carlsbad Dec09

It was the "Christmas on the Pecos" river boat ride why we and some friends took our RVs to Brantley Lake State Park just north of Carlsbad, NM.  You would think December in southern NM would be warmer than at home in Edgewood.  NOT.  In fact, the whole time, temps were close to, and even broke, low temperature records.  It was flat out COLD.  But, in spite of a few frozen water 'issues', we had a great time, even did a hike at Sitting Bull Falls.  The camaraderie of friends and festive spirit of "Christmas on the Pecos" made this RV adventure memorable and lots of fun.

Wisconsin Nov09

We blasted back to Wisconsin to get our long awaited snow blower and of course, visit our granddaughter, Alison and her Mom and Dad, Jennifer and David.  We finally got to celebrate their July wedding with a special dinner at a great Irish pub in downtown Milwaukee.  We of course, also saw all David's family and had especially nice visits with Mom Thibeau.  It was a fast trip, but with lots of great quality family time.

SW New Mexico Oct09

Our October adventure was to southwest New Mexico.  First stop, Monticello Point at Elephant Butte State Park, where the night sky was crispy clear and the star gazing incredible. 

Then to Silver City, where we discovered Manzano's, a most hospitable RV park we'll surely return to.  While in Silver City, we did day trips, enjoying the fall colors along the Gila River, to Glenwood for a hike on the famed Catwalk, and into the Gila National Forest and a hike on the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.  We'll go back to Silver City.  It's a great place to explore further.

Next, it was south to City of Rocks State Park where soon after we set up and were out for a walk, a rapidly approaching ominous storm forced us back to the RV.  Warm and dry inside, the noise from hail became deafening and the storm's intensity alarming, as rivers of water and hail flowed swiftly around and under the RV.  Fortunately, it didn't last long.  After about 15 minutes, the ground was white with dime-size hail and the sky nearly black where the storm was headed.  It was eerily beautiful and the sunset soon after was absolutely spectacular.

We returned to Monticello Point for a couple more days, to ride our bikes and enjoy the serenity of fall at Elephant Butte Lake.  There are lots of birds on the water and cranes migrating overhead.  We sure enjoy the roadrunner who visits almost every time we're here.  It was another great trip on the Thibeau trail. 

Coyote Creek / Angel Fire Sep09

Antsy to RV, we parked at Coyote Creek State Park for fall colors and a long overdue visit with our friends the Koehlingers.  Coyote Creek is a lovely campground nestled in the canyons south of the Moreno Valley and Angel Fire, NM.  During the few days of our visit, we saw quite a few elk and wild turkey, and a variety of birds. 

The visit with our friends included a day at Rick & Virginia's almost at the top of Angel Fire Ski Resort.  Their home is called a 'Ski-in, Ski-out'.  Just a few dozen yards out the back door to the slopes.  Swoosh down, ride the lift back up to the top, swoosh back down to the back door.  You're home.  We hiked to the top to over 10,000 feet and had chilly, but incredible, 360 degree views of Angel Fire and the Moreno Valley far below.  What a location for a home!  Boundless opportunities to experience the beauty and wildlife of northern New Mexico.  We loved visiting our Koehlinger friends, including Chris, Kelly, Sasha, who is such a joy, and precious baby Grace.

Vallecito August09

Ahh, the beauty and inspiration of SW Colorado, the San Juan high country and Vallecito Lake!  We hiked, biked, and relaxed in the serenity and fragrance of the pines in this peaceful and communal place.  We visited Wilderness Trails Ranch, nestled beside the Pine River, bringing back floods of memories for Martha of when she worked there several girlhood summers.  We'll be back before too long.  SW Colorado has always been one of our favorites.

Wisconsin Plus JunJul09

This trip was to the Milwaukee/Racine, Wisconsin area where we parked the 'land yacht' for a month at Cliffside Park - a really nice county-operated campground a stone's throw from Lake Michigan with lots of shade, quiet nights, and convenient to all the visiting and exploring we wanted. We had great times with Dave's Mom and family and, as much as their schedules would allow, with Jennifer, her David, and our wonderful granddaughter Alison. She is so much fun, even bringing out the kid in us, when we all barefooted through the sprinkler in the backyard of their new house, a beautiful 80 year old, Alison calls the Brick Palace. We spent 4th of July at Fox Lake, NW of Milwaukee, where we celebrated with a super lakefront neighborhood potluck and great fireworks over the lake. We had a great time - our stay just flew by, but our journey home was memorable, too. Heading out I-90 across southern Minnesota into South Dakota, we stayed on the banks of the awesome Missouri River, continued west to explore the beauty of SW South Dakota's Black Hills, Wind Cave National Park, Custer State Park, and Mount Rushmore, then south to Colorado for a couple of days of awe in the vast, brilliant beauty and diversity of Rocky Mountain National Park, and a visit with David's niece, her husband, and our great nephew, Silas, who was scooting around like lightning and by now is probably walking. This was our first extended RV trip. It was exciting, as well as an education about living on the road, but we loved the adventure and are already loading up for the next one. Stay tuned.