Sepembert 13 - October 21, 2019

We have fallen behind with the blog. First with getting ready to leave while visiting with our friends Bill & GeorgeAnna (who we met at Fleetwood warranty facility as they have a Discovery 40G similar to our own 40E; then traveling to Albuquerque to visit Bill’s daughter’s family; then going to Thousand Trails (TT) Bay Landing planning to stay 2 weeks, but having to leave after just 1 day due to not finding any full hookup sites; then settling in TT Lake Whitney in Whitney TX. Here, when we started to work on catching up the blog posts, we encountered several problems… 1. The photo card reader on the computer stopped working, requiring us to buy an external card reader, 2. Upon trying to place our annual wine order for Hayes Ranch Cab wine they told us that they no longer stock that wine, so we had to scramble to look for it elsewhere. At first it seemed that no one carries it anymore, then finally we found it in one supplier from NY, but the shipping would be $37/case, making it unattainable as that would make each bottle $14, whereas it normally cost $8/bottle locally at Spec’s in Texas. Thankfully we finally found it through a Spec’s distributor for $8/bottle, so we ordered 10 cases. Later Bill was bit by some bugs (mosquitoes perhaps) and developed an allergic reaction to whatever it was. We then had to go to the VA Clinic in College Station (so we could also get Aggie spirit clothing) but the VA refused to see him because according to them they are not able to treat veterans from out of their area. Later we found out that the old VA ‘Choice’ program has just been replaced (June 2019) by a new VA program called ‘Mission Act’ which gives veterans access to be seen at most Urgent Care facilities. So through it Bill was able to be seen right here in Whitney. So now with the card reader to get the photos for the blog, we have come to the realization of what a daunting task it is to try to catch up 4 blog posts. Therefore, we may need to make these past three weeks in which so much has happened into just one post, instead of three or four, with a reduced number of photos.

One of the last things we wanted to do before leaving Star Valley Ranch was see our last view of the changing of the foliage colors, so we decided to make one last trip to Jackson Hole.  The scenery was a bit improved from the last one but the best outcome of that trip was that we were finally able to see a big bull moose and two cows.

  

 

 

 

 

 On the way back home, going through Alpine and not having had lunch we opted to stop in at our new favorite food truck for mexican food... El Vaquero, for one last burrito meal before leaving. They make the best Macho Burrito Salad and Super Macho Burritos.

 

One last meal at the El Vaquero (The Cowboy) Mexican Food bus, which serves such good burritos and Roxy can sit with us as they have outside tables with sun umbrellas.

 

 

Above: Bill's Super Macho Burrito.

Below: Mary joins the Clean Plate Club.

 

  
There are many hiking trails all around Star Valley, so we figured we ought to go check one out before we left. Roxy loved it. They are very interesting winding through the housing developments and golf courses; however, they are also very hilly... up, down, up, down... sometimes at 45 degree inclines. Bill prefers the flatter terrains. Even Roxy had to stop now and then to catch her breath and was glad to get back to the truck. 

 

 

Back home on the ranch with the gazeebo dismantled and roped off we are finally almost ready to go. Just 4 chairs and the fire pit were left out to sit with our friends coming to say farewell. The benefit of these farewells is that it is only until next year when we'll see our friends again. 

   

 

Then, when our friends Bill and GeorgeAnna said they were in Jackson Hole and wanted to come by to visit, we decided to take then to Greys River Road, which is one of the best areas for seeing the autumn foliage colors. Unfortunately it was raining quite a bit so we didn’t get the best photos, but it was great to view anyway. Roxy had to share the back seat with them but they were able to get their dog ‘fix’ with her. 

 

 

 

 

 

Below our new friends and neighbors in Star Valley Ranch, Cliff and Venise Mee, came by for Happy Hour farewell drinks, as we'll be leaving the next day, but they are staying until mid to late October... brave souls. Happily we'll see them again at Arizona Legends in Jan. - Feb. when they come to visit and look at possible winter RV lots for themselves.

 

After Bill & GeorgeAnna left we took the cover off the gazebo, surrounded it with a plastic construction barricade to keep the elk out, put all the outside furniture and grill in the shed, and put up posts and wire at the front of the lot to keep cars from driving up on our slab while we are not there.



Then on September 25, 2019 we left our summer RV lot in Star Valley Ranch and drove to Albuquerque, stopping at the Tie Fork Rest Area in UT and at the Walmart on Main St in Farmington NM. Roxy has gotten a lot more confident in her RVing. She will actually come up to the front of the rig and sit beween us to watch the passing landscape. Since Bill likes to crunch ice while driving, so she also knows that she can mooch some ice from him.
 
The Tie Fork Rest Area is located at 17845 Hwy 6, Spanish Fork UT 84660, very near the place where the ghost town of Tucker once stood. Tucker was a small town of about 500 residents that sprung up when a railroad station was built there. The town then came to an end when the railroad diverted the tracks to make the trip over the summit easier. Eventually the railroad station, homes and buildings were all demolished. There was a rest stop there, but several years ago when US-6 was diverted it was buried to make way for the road. A new rest stop was built just a couple of miles down the road and it pays homage to the little railroad that once existed nearby. It is a quaint little rest stop along US Hwy 6, between Helper and Spanish Fork, UT designed to look like a replica train station, which has historic details, travelers information, vending machines and clean rest rooms. A covered area is meant to resemble the roundhouse at the station and houses a replica steam locomotive built to resemble a helper engine from the early 1900s. A replica water tower which also stands on the grounds, much like the water towers that would have given the engines the steam needed to get them over the summit. There is also a nice dog park and security. It is highly recommended as a place to stop for the night whether with a car, regular RV a large RV and even semi-truck parking.

 

 

Here, at our first night layover, at the Tie Fork Rest Stop in UT we spent a delightful night in a clean and secure location with a dog park and lots of trails to be able to walk Roxy off-leash. On the ridge just above the roof of the train station replica building of the rest stop, is an actual railroad track with train traffic on it, which one hears at night and sees during the day, but which does not really disturb anyone. Below, Mary is taking Roxy for a walk off-leash on one of the trails, while Bill is prepping the rig to get underway, on to the Walmart on Main St in Farmington NM for our second night lay-over on our route to Albuquerrque. 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 26^th - The scenery from UT to NM was breathtaking at times, especially around Moab. The next day at a rest stop in Moab (Roxy potty break) in Utah...

 

  

And at another rest stop called "Hole in the Rock"   

The second night we spent the night at the Walmart at 1400 W. Main St in Farmington NM 87401, off of BYP Hwy 64. They allow RV and semi-truck overnight parking in a large, safe and well-lit parking lot, with the benefit of a Durango Joe’s Coffee (1501 E. 20^th St) right next to the parking lot for the morning coffee before departing. 

 

 Finally on Friday, September 27^th we arrived in Albuquerque and settled into the Hidden Valley Mountain Park (844 NM-333, Tijeras, NM). Their website says “Clean, Quiet and Secluded”. That is true… so secluded that there is actually a mountain lion that lives up on the ridge. Other campers who have stayed there (in another part of the park) have told us that the campsites are ‘spacious’; however in our neck of the woods it was more like ‘cramped’. We did not even have enough room to walk next to our slides without needing to walk on the neighbor’s driver side of their lot. It is very rustic to be sure, and walking Roxy at night was cautious as several times Roxy apparently smelled the cat out in the woods and other times Bill heard it growling. Needless to say he was always armed, just in case.

 

 

On Saturday 28^th we met with Bill’s daughter, Angela, her husband Chris and their daughter Kayla Ann at our motorhome, so that they can see where and how we live as we travel throughout the US, meeting new friends, writing and photographing about every place we visit. Then we went to lunch at the Pizza Barn in Edgewood NM just East of Tijeras, which is just East of Albuquerque.

Chris, Angela and Kayla Tobey. Two beautiful girls that I am proud to call my daughter and grand-daughter and a dashing young man, who I am equally proud of and thankful for his being in Angela's life and having raised Kayla to be such a fine young lady.

 

The next day (Sunday) we met them at the Wildlife West Nature Park (87 N Frontage Rd, Edgewood NM 87015. This 122-acre park that provides a glimpse into the wild side of NM, but it is more than a zoo. This is where animals who have been in accidents (or rescued from an INhumane environment) find there forever home, when they are no longer able to independently in the wild. Black bears, elk, turkey, vultures, foxes, coyotes, cougars, etc. find shelters in custom habitats and are able to live the rest of their lives with professional care giving and lots of love.  The idea started more than 25 years ago with Founder and Executive Director Roger Alink, who has always had a passion for animals and youth empowerment. After graduating from the University of New Mexico and pursuing several career options, he decided that he wanted to give back to the community he had grown to love. So he purchased a vacant piece of land and with a mission to rescue and provide homes for non-releasable wildlife, he began pursuing his non-profit organization, which has grown from an empty lot into a spectacular 122-acre wildlife refuge and visitor’s center. With lots of volunteers Alink’s mission is every bit a success.  Through a grant from the Youth Conservation Corps, youth and college students stay and work for 6 months, building and maintaining the habitats for the animals. Only the volunteers work directly with the native animals, and these have career aspirations with the zoo industry and with wildlife, and some go on to work with zoos across the country (and the Albuquerque Zoo).     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Sad to leave, but glad to have had a chance to see them, from there on Monday we went on to Bay Landing RV Campground, stopping in Amarillo TX for the night at the Amarillo Travel InformationCenter (on I-40, MM 76), which has two end-sites which permit the opening of the bedroom slide for a more comfortable sleep.  The TT Bay Landing campground claims to be an “RV campground on the shores of the scenic Lake Bridgeport”. The campground and lake are pretty but ALL (not too many to speak of) of the ‘full hookup’ sites were taken and the ones that were not taken were ALL marked “Personal Site”, which seems to be rented out for the entire year and therefore NOT available to any of the Thousand Trails members. Even though there are dump stations, it is a real pain in the arse to have to disconnect everything and put everything away just to go dump the black and gray tanks every 2-3 days. If it was just for 2-3 days it would not be bad; however, as we had reservations for 2 weeks, it would just have been too uncomfortable. The black tank may last a week but the gray tank will fill a lot faster as it takes dishwashing and showers water use. So we opted to leave the next day and go on to TT Lake Whitney in Whitney TX (124 miles further south), which we were already scheduled to go to after Bay Landing, and we extended our stay to 3 weeks there instead.

So here we have been at the TT Lake Whitney campground, hanging out and relaxing, shopping for our Hayes Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon, whch we have grown to ove, but now can't find anyone who carries it. Finally we found it through Spec's Wines, Spirits & Fine Foods in Ft. Worth, which had been our original source for around $8.00 a bottle by the case. Our contact there, Billie Speakes, an outstanding customer-service oriented young man found out that although Spec's no longer carries that wine, he and his store manager, (Kane) could get us the 10 cases we wanted directly from their distributors. Unfortunately the price has gone up in the last 2 years and is now $10.00/bottle,but given how good it is and the fact that we had an orders for 1 case from our friends Dan and Beth Langerak (from Arizona Legends) we opted to go ahead and get the 10 cases, so that we could be stocked for about a year. If we find it in Michigan when we get there next year, or by the time we get to Florida (we know they have it there for $9.99/btl) we'll restock up there. But at least we won't run out and not fave a way to get more. We also got our 6 cases of Brugal (Dominican) Rum, and made a contact at the Spec’s liquor store in El Paso (the closest store to Benson AZ) should we need a liquor run in preparation of our next year travel in April 2020.

So we shall be moving on to Lone Star RV Service Center in Harker Heights TX on Monday, October 21^st, for some needed repairs. Then our front heat pump AC broke (started vibrating the coach) so we had to shut it down. The rear AC works for cold, but it as no heat.  So we have to heat the coach with just the middle AC and electric heaters for now. That's it for now. Our next stay after Lone Star RV Service in Harker Heights will be at TT Colorado River in Columbus TX for two weeks, and then at TT Medina Lake in Lakehills TX (near San Antonio, to see Mary's friends Carey and Darci. Then on back to Arizona Legends, where Roxy will be glad to get back to her old surroundings, laying on the back porch and getting golf cart rides and desert hikes.

Until the next post… Happy trails.