vandwellers

A Broken Turtle Tale: Reserve, NM

In the last post, Andy itemized all our break-downs, according to the definition of breaking down that we’ve agreed upon. The final line item in that list was a break-down in Reserve, New Mexico which we mentioned we’d discuss further later. It’s not so much a story about what went wrong, though that’s exciting too, but about a lucky break in where we broke down and how wonderful it is to be reminded of how kind people are.

The story begins as we left Silver City from the Gila Cliff Dwellings. It was a stunning drive.

Andy had woken up that morning from delicious dreams of pizza, so we made it the daily goal to find ourselves a slice. As we passed through Reserve, NM we saw The Adobe Cafe had a flying banner advertising pizza, so we took it as a sign and went in. The pizza did not disappoint!

We wrapped up our remaining slices and got back in the Turtle, started it up. . . and that starter just kept starting and turning over and making crazy sounds, and continuing to start even after Andy pulled the keys out. It was probably three minutes we spent panicking and looking at each other with saucer eyes and running around trying to figure out what to do, but both of us agree it felt like twenty before the starter finally died. We got out, and I popped the hood and began investigating. (Yeah, just kidding of course—Andy did that.) My job was to chat with the friendly locals who came over to make sure everything was all right.

Andy here. What I suspected was happening, and what we finally concluded happened was this: When you turn the key to start, a little electrical current is fed to the started solenoid. The solenoid is a switch that then supplies a large current from fat wires from the battery to the starter (an electric motor), that then turns over the engine. The little solenoid switch got stuck in the connected position, so even after turning the key back, it was still making the connection to supply power to the starter. Starters are not designed to run for long, so the starter overheated, something important inside melted, and it died. To fix the problem, we then needed a new solenoid switch, and a new starter. Took less that 30 minutes to fix, once we got the right parts. We actually carry a spare starter and solenoid with us now…

And I’m telling you, the whole town of Reserve rallied together to help us out! People were driving home to see if they had spare starters, directing us to the auto shop down the road, checking back on us after attending the elementary school play their kids/grandkids were in that evening, and generally just offering any assistance they could. It was really encouraging. Because it was Friday, the shop wouldn’t be able to get parts in until Monday, so we thought we might be marooned for a few days. As a last resort, Andy did his best to revive the patient inside out of the rain, but the thing was D.O.A.

In the meantime, Gracie kept us apprised of the goings-on in the neighborhood.

We met a local who coincidentally is from my hometown of Billings, MT. He offered to take Andy to the nearest town the following day to pick up a starter in Springerville, about an hour away. We were saved! We joined him at the local tavern for a beer and had a great time. Everyone there expressed concern for our stranded state and offered whatever help they could provide for us. But luckily, we had Craig. The next day he arrived to pick up Andy, and the two of them got the part, Andy installed it, and we were all set to go. Thanks Craig! You really saved the day!

We’d also like to thank the entire town of Reserve who made us feel welcome and not at all up that proverbial creek. At any given moment we had a handful of people on call, doing whatever they could to help us out. We had a lovely stay, and if we’re ever in the area we’ll definitely be back!

A Postscript Involving Pie:

Due to the delay, we knew we were cutting it close if we were going to make it to the destination I’d pinned on our calendar three months ago and had been talking about ever since: an actual town called Pie Town, NM. Can you believe it? It’s a tiny little town with just a few shops, three of the four of them pie shops. And if you’ve met me you know how much I looooooove pie. I couldn’t wait.

Unfortunately by the time we reached Pie Town, all the shops had just closed. I was pretty bummed out. As we drove through town, we noticed that Pie-O-Neer Pies had cars parked out front, so we pulled in, but the Closed sign was in the door and I was re-bummed. Then just as we began to back out, a petite smiling woman in a stylish hat popped out of the door and shouted to us, “Do you want pie?” We said YES! She said they only had three slices left, but we could come take a look. We said we’d take the lot, and they even threw in an extra slice for us. It was a very glorious day for me. We took them to go, and I waited impatiently for us to reach our evening destination outside of the Very Large Array. We found a perfect spot at a turn-out right by the entrance road.

If you look in this picture, you can barely make out the VLA on the horizon. (It looked much closer in person.)

Then we ate pie!

We ate them sampler-style, and loved all three. We had enough leftovers to enjoy two more dessert occasions as well. We’ll definitely drive out of our way to return to Pie-O-Neer Pies in the future. What a treat!

So although reading the list that Andy put together may seem like a series of unfortunate events, they all make for great stories, and some of those stories even end in pie.

We Love NPS: Carlsbad Caverns, Guadalupe Mountains, White Sands & Gila Cliff Dwellings

It’s no secret that we love the National Parks System. In fact, part of our five-year plan (or as close as full-time wanderers get to a plan) involves taking occasional breaks from the road to work at National Parks and Monuments as we travel around. Not only will it be soooo fun to live at a park, but we can also make a little extra travel money while giving back to the Parks System that has basically been our landlord for a good portion of the last year and a half. We’ve boondocked on NPS land at National Parks, campgrounds, and dispersed camping areas. And not only to we get access to astonishingly beautiful and unique gems around the United States, we’ve also been provided at many sites with potable water, RV dump stations, showers, bathrooms, and garbage services. Oh, and a surprise favorite—ranger talks around campfires under the stars! At Wind Cave the fireflies were flying around us as we walked to the amphitheater to hear a ranger tell us all about the history of bison in South Dakota, and another ranger sang us a song on her ukulele that she wrote about Native American folklore. Pretty fancy, right?

Immediately after hitting the road, we got our NPS annual Interagency Pass and it’s no surprise that we’ve gotten our $80 worth and feel pretty happy about it! The last few weeks have been especially National Parks-y.

We began the streak at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, hiking down to the Big Room from the Natural Entrance.

There were some beautiful intricate formations on the way down, but the real thrill was the 1.25 mile loop around the Big Room at the bottom. We’ve been in a bunch of caves, but never anything like this! The photos do it no justice, but the scale of these stalactites and stalagmites is staggering.

We were thankful for the railings along the path, which made it possible to just stare upward with our mouths hanging open, pinballing our way down the walkway. It’s Andy’s Favorite Cave To Date, and for me it’s Tied For First with all the other caves I’ve explored. (I just really like being in caves.)

We stayed the night somewhere outside the park, and then the following day—Easter Sunday!—we arrived at Guadalupe Mountains National Park for a holiday hike.

Of course we had to investigate the potable water situation, and they had a nice spigot near the RV camping area, so we made a note of it and hiked on into the hills. This park is home to El Capitan, which is a celebrity rock, and Guadalupe Peak, which is the highest mountain in Texas. We didn’t hike either of them; it was 90 degrees with full sunshine, so neither of us felt bad about choosing a less strenuous trail.

After the hike and a water fill, we proceeded to El Paso for a Costco run and then on to Alamogordo and saw. . . well, look.

That’s right; it’s the World’s Largest Pistachio! It’s a sculpture at the McGinn’s Pistachio Tree Ranch, which is a really fun stop if you’re in the area. There’s a lot to see and eat there. We sampled dozens of flavored pistachios and pistachio candy, bought some bags to take home, and got some pistachio ice cream to eat under a pistachio tree by the huge pistachio sculpture.

I’ve never written the word “pistachio” so many times in my life combined.

Then another stop in Alamogordo at the Alameda Park Zoo, recommended to me by my buddy Daren who used to live in the area. And I’m so glad he did; we wouldn’t have thought to stop by this tiny zoo in a park in the middle of town, but it was one of the coolest zoos either of us has ever visited! It’s only $2.50 to get in, the grounds are lovely and nicely manicured, and the animals are happy and well-cared for in their clean and green enclosures.

We left the zoo while we still had plenty of light so that we could make the big climb up to Cloudcroft, an adorable town 19 miles outside of and 4,000 feet higher than Alamogordo. And our little Turtle made it! We may have been going 2 mph, but we made it! We stopped at the scenic train trestle outside of Cloudcroft, and then found a cool dispersed campsite nearby to stay for the night.

We stayed two days, and drove back down.

. . .Don’t get me wrong, lots of fun things happened in Cloudcroft, but I promised you a National Parks post so I’m going to try to stay on topic here. 🙂

A lot of National Parks that we go to feel like being on another planet, which is a shared characteristic of all the parks I’ve liked best. So you can probably guess my approval rating for White Sands National Monument! This place was bizarre in the very best way.

It was magical. Hills and hills as far as the eye can see of gypsum sand.

It played tricks on our minds, as hills of white usually mean snow and winter, but it was 85 degrees and we were roasting! I made a sand angel anyway. Also strange was the sensation that we were walking on sand in that heat, but it wasn’t hot on our feet at all.

Before we began walking back to the Turtle, Andy joked that we should fill our bucket with water and make a white sand castle. We both got quiet and looked at each other, and then went to get the bucket.

The next day we went to Hatch, NM to get ourselves the epic green chile cheeseburger at Sparky’s that some hot springs friends had told us about a few months ago.

It was legitimately one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. Thanks for the recommendation, guys! On our way out of Hatch, we got some green chiles from a roadside market, Andy hassled one of the locals, and then we hit the road for Spaceport America.

Spaceport America is incredible to see, even though it’s not open to the public right now. We’d read that there was a visitor’s center, but it’s in nearby Truth or Consequences (actual town name) so we just got a long-distance view of “the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport” and some really neat info from the hospitable guard at the gate. The sci-fi nerd in me was already picturing the next time I drive out there, this time with my flight ticket in hand. To infinity and beyond!

That night and the next we stayed at Elephant Butte Dam in Truth or Consequences. We swam, read by the water, got some sun, and threw Scout’s frisbee into the water a thousand times before continuing onto the next leg of our journey.

Which was Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument! Another new favorite, and another great NPS spot to visit at the top of a very windy road that tops out at about 8,300 ft. The Turtle was wheezing, but we made it up this one too! And the reward was worth it.

There are free campsites all around the monument, as well as an oasis just right outside—a privately-owned hot springs with three pools and camping available. If they hadn’t been booked up, we would have gladly stayed the night too!

But we already had a site we’d found the night before that we loved, so we were happy to return to our little house by the river.

It was a great place to relax and catch our breath before moving on to the next National Park! It was also a great place for catching other things too.

After returning our new friend to his home by the river, we returned to the road—the Turtle’s natural habitat! And on to the next National Park—the Turtle’s second home.

A Good Place to Crash—Outside Roswell, NM

We’re back in New Mexico and we couldn’t be happier about it! We never imagined we’d stay in a single state for multiple months during our travels, but we can’t seem to rush through anything here. We always plan a general outline of our route a few weeks out and estimate how much time we’ll spend in each spot, but it’s always subject to change and sometimes we trip over a great spot and end up staying much longer than anticipated. The reasons for the extension vary each time, but more often than not it’s because we find a great quiet spot where the weather is clear and we can get some work done on the Turtle!

Considering how limited our storage capabilities are, we keep a surprising amount of project materials on hand in case we find a good spot to do a little maintenance and housekeeping. Of course this was Andy’s idea, and the additional paint, brushes, wood, and tools for which he prioritized space has made Turtle life much more comfortable and manageable. It helps that he’s a wizard with problem solving, woodworking, electric jobs, and wordplay. (That last one has less to do with this topic, but it’s worth noting.) Anyway, we’ve got a pretty customized Turtle these days!

We never know when the work space is going to present itself. Thanks to our arsenal of travel apps, we can tell if a spot seems to be a good place to stay the night, but we can never know exactly what we’re going to get when it comes to the view, the size of the site, the crowds, etc. So we left stormy Lake Meredith on our way to sunny Roswell, NM thinking we’d just travel through Roswell on our way to some great National Parks.

First we stopped in Borger, TX and this happened:

Don’t worry; he’s fine.

After we got him back on his feet, we stopped in Portales, NM to catch up on some computer work, journaling, and letter-writing at the Roosevelt Brewery, where we happened upon some new friends who are also really into the vandwelling lifestyle and have some plans of their own on the horizon. It’s so much fun to meet people who understand the impulse to make life simpler and more fulfilling and adventurous by traveling full time in a tiny house on wheels. So we decided to stick around and spend the evening with them, and had a great time. It was so much fun meeting you, David and Robyn! And thanks for the stickers; we really wanted Roosevelt for the brewery sticker book. You guys are the best! Keep in touch! 🙂

The next morning we were ahead of schedule daylight-wise, since we hadn’t anticipated a stop in Portales, and we were super close to our next stop in Roswell. But since I’d bookmarked an interesting OHV site (Off-Highway Vehicle) for the previous night, we thought we’d just swing by as we drove past to see what it was like.

Aaaaaaand, we loved it.

It was like being on a Star Trek set.

And because this spot is made for toy-haulers, each of the sites is huge, and even has a covered picnic table, grill, garbage, and bathrooms. Not to mention a great view.

The weather was perfect, the space was ample, and the nightly fee was minimal, so we decided to settle in for a bit. Because when you live in a Turtle, there’s always a project waiting to be done!

So while the animals enjoyed their enormous new back yard, Andy and I got to work.

Jobs that needed to be done included:

(Andy’s notes)

– Toilet started running continuously. We got a new valve for $45 in Amarillo, TX, and installed it here. Needed to remove the toilet, remove old parts, install the new parts (took the time to thoroughly clean the toilet), and then reinstall it.

– Rotated the tires. Kept them all on the same side, and moved front to inner rear, inner rear to outer rear, and outer rear to front. We had a slow valve stem leak some time ago, and when we did, I rotated the spare into the front at that time.

– With the tires off, took time to clean the rims and brakes, and inspect the brakes with the wheels off.

– Made, painted and installed the Nalgene holder for behind the stove.

– Installed the D-ring recovery points onto the rear bumper where it is welded to the frame.

– Installed an ammo box under the spare tire in the back. They make a nice waterproof container, and inside I have replacement ignition parts and other electrical parts we what to have on hand and keep dry.

Some notes: We travel with all our tools, including a 50-ton bottle jack and two 3-ton jack stands. cordless drill and jigsaw (that charges from the solar). They came in useful here!

Gracie helped.

When the weekend arrived, we decided to leave the spot available for the real OHV riders and see if we could find some aliens in Roswell.

We saw a bunch, but sadly none of them took us with them for a universe tour. Which worked out for us, because a couple of other strange creatures were waiting for us to take them back to our desert landscape for a few more days of work—and even more play—before hitting the road again for further adventure on planet Earth.

The galaxy can wait for now.

A Month-Long Detour: Oklahoma City, OK

In our last post, I alluded to a detour we were embarking upon to visit some friends in OKC. I couldn’t have imagined that when I finally had time to write about it, we’d have also moved the party to Texas and extended the trip by two weeks! But with old friends, it’s hard not to want the good times to keep rolling, and by the end of it both Beth and I were convinced that we’d talked the other into prolonging the fun. So it was a win-win.

A quick history: Beth and I were randomly-assigned roommates our freshman year of college at University of Montana in Missoula. Because all of our pictures are in storage right now, the best I can give you is this little gem that I found slipped between the pages of a sketch book while organizing the Turtle one day. Please note the high-res quality of a photo taken on a first generation web cam and printed on a 90’s era printer. Also, that we were as cheesy then as we are now.

After moving into that tiny shoebox together, Beth and I gradually became friends, cracked each other up, invented games, stayed up until the sun came up, moved to Juneau, and caused some trouble together in the years to follow. Now, just a few short years later (Right? That’s what it’s been, right?) we still see each other every year, but still that’s not enough. So when Beth pointed out to me that we were only 7 hours from Oklahoma City, much closer than I’d realized, we put a pin in the New Mexico plans and turned that steering wheel east to go hang out with her and her family for a week or two.

Needless to say, we had all the fun. Unfortunately Beth and Johnny still had to do real life in the meantime, so we hung out with them while we could and then explored the city on our own while they worked.

Highlights of the trip included:

The Thunder game! They were playing the Portland Trailblazers, coincidentally. So after living over a decade in Portland, I saw my second Blazers game in OKC. I’m a baseball fan, all right? 😉

The Horse Thief show at the newly-renovated and super-cool Tower Theater.

Taking Scout to the field near their house to play frisbee in the middle of the city.

Taking our picture in front of the wall of their building, which Beth says everybody does, so we had to do it too. We like to fit in with the locals. 🙂

Playing with Asher, then continuing to play with his toys long after he lost interest.

Beth’s top-tier crown-making skills.

Going to the Oklahoma City bombing memorial and museum. (If you’re in town, GO to this remarkably well-curated museum, but be prepared to be emotionally fried afterward. It was extremely moving and we were spent by the time we left.)

Exploring Brick Town, Deep Deuce, Midtown, the Plaza District, and Automobile Alley on our bikes. Again, we like to feel like locals so I’m showing off our OKC knowledge here.

Riding our bikes by the baseball field and seeing that there was a free high school baseball game going on! We’d admired the stadium from outside a few days prior, so we were thrilled to get to see it inside.

Taking a walking tour of all of Beth and Johnny’s favorite spots with their friends Mike and Sandy (taking the pictures).

Watching Andy reach peak stress levels playing PacMan.

This.

We had SO MUCH FUN. Beth and Johnny were great hosts, and great sports. 🙂 Oklahoma City has changed a lot since the last time I visited about 5 years ago. We were going nonstop and still didn’t see everything!

One weekend, we decided to go camping at a wildlife refuge a few hours outside of town. We saw bison and wild turkeys.

Scout and Gracie had to be leashed, but were just happy to be outside smelling all those great animal smells.

Gracie’s a pro at tangling that leash up.

One day it was so windy that we drove into a little town nearby to go get huge hamburgers at a place that Beth and Johnny often frequent when they’re in the area, and still don’t know whether they love the spot or despise it. On this trip, we all agreed it was awesome, but we could also see that it had the potential to swing wildly from charming to exasperating.

Beth and I attempted a Boxcar Children photo.

Here is Asher’s recreation of the trip, including the Turtle, him in his tent, the fire, and the lines on the top left show the howling of the coyotes we heard in the distance. It’s perfect.

When our planned two weeks were up, we still weren’t ready to stop having fun. So we decided to get a week’s head start on Beth and Johnny while they worked through the week, and then we’d all meet up at Lake Meredith, north of Amarillo. It’s a free NPS site with lots of fishing, boat and swimming access, plus spectacular views of the lake from the camp sites perched on top of the cliffs.

The first night, Andy and I stayed on the Cedar Canyon beach.

The next day, we scouted out the myriad sites surrounding the lake. Many of them have bathrooms, potable water, and even hot clean showers. We still can’t believe this place is free! It’s better maintained than some sites where we’ve paid to stay.

We decided on a site at the Sanford-Yake campground.

Because we had no neighbors and the sites were so far apart, the animals got some freedom. Scout still loves his stuffed worm, so thank you again Eric and Willow! 🙂

Beth and Johnny arrived a few days later, and we continued the fun! We had a few gorgeous days and a few windy/chilly days.

There aren’t enough superlatives to express how much fun it was to spend so much time with Beth and her family, for the boys to get to know each other better, and to create new memories and inside jokes like we did in the old days.

After they left, I sat by the fire for a little bit and tried not to mourn too hard.

We went back down to the beach to lift our spirits, and the weather was so perfect we both got a little bit tan. Scout swam while Gracie watched Scout swim, perplexed.

We had another fire that evening and cooked up some hot dogs, knowing that the forecast was going to change drastically the next day!

Aaaaaaaaand, it did. We woke up to blasting wind rocking the Turtle and rain pounding the roof. When I opened the door to let Scout out, he jumped down into a river rushing under us!

After all the fun we had over the last month, we decided that we were ok with a stormy day and that it would actually be quite cozy to cuddle up in the turtle, have some coffee, read some books, write this post. . .

But first, we had to take advantage of the rainfall and give the Turtle a bath! (When you live on the road, you’ve got to take advantage of opportunities when they arise.)

Albuquerque to the Ojito Wilderness, New Mexico

Before a month ago, neither of us had ever been to New Mexico, and both of us were super excited to explore the state. It certainly never disappointed! (Except Taos; that city didn’t live up to the hype at all.) We loved Santa Fe and Diablo Canyon, and next on the list was a night in Albuquerque on the way to the Ojito Wilderness.

We went to Old Town in Albuquerque and walked around the shops, had tacos for lunch, chatted with some charming locals, and visited the historic church in the middle of Old Town.

While we were in one of the touristy shops, I noticed a whole wall full of Breaking Bad paraphernalia. We remembered that the show was set in Albuquerque, and as we walked through Old Town, I saw a flier for a Breaking Bad tour that takes you to a dozen or so places from the show. Andy wasn’t a fan of the series, so he watched me curiously as I frantically found a post from Lonely Planet with a map of a do-it-yourself Breaking Bad tour and ran for the Turtle.

I didn’t want to take over Andy’s day with my Breaking Bad fandom, so I picked a few of the locations I most wanted to see, and luckily (for Andy) they happened to be fairly close to one another.

First, we went to the park where Mike always went with his granddaughter.

And of course we had to go to Walt and Skyler’s house, which has been painted and gated.

And the A1A Car Wash!

In the far end of the car wash parking lot, we ran into a familiar-looking RV. It’s not the same one, but close, and we guessed that it’s part of the $75 tour we saw advertised, which was arriving at the car wash as we were pulling out.

We also ran by Gus’ Laundromat, but the sun had almost set so we just looked and then went and grabbed a beer at the Red Door Brewery, just a few doors down.

The next day, we got supplies and drove to the Ojito Wilderness, about 45 minutes outside of Albuquerque.

It’s a gorgeous desert spot on BLM land just west of San Ysidro. Lots of people go there to ride bikes on the White Mesa Bike Trails outside of the wilderness area, and to shoot guns various places just inside the entrance.

We kept driving in until we got to the Hoodoo trailhead, on the west side of the wilderness, where we made camp—a.k.a. parked the Turtle and opened the door.

Ojito is a great spot because you have access to over 11,000 acres of wilderness! You have to park on the edge of the actual wilderness area, but it’s all BLM land so you can hike in and camp anywhere you like. There are two marked hiking trails that get you out into the wilderness, or you can just blaze your own trail. We did both, and loved both equally.

The rocks and formations out there are diverse and lovely. There is an abundance of sandstone, gypsum, quartz, volcanic rock, and even fossils, which of course you can’t take but are really fun to find!

I’m beginning to suspect that the desert is Andy’s natural habitat.

Gracie loves it because she gets to run and roll in the dirt all day, nap in the sun when we leave for hikes, and ever since she learned to climb the ladder at Diablo Canyon, she’s made the top of the Turtle her personal patio.

Check out this enormous sliced cucumber rock!

Both animals were so happy here that they were even more sweet with each other than usual. This is what I woke up to on my stomach one morning:

Gracie was so pleased that we finally found sunshine that she did her best to soak it all up, and I think she succeeded.

On our last day there, we got a day without wind, which was exciting because the previous two days we were hit so hard that Gracie and I opted to stay inside and read all day! We celebrated the sunny day by taking our favorite four-hour hike for a final picnic and rock-collecting mission.

We left this idyllic site only because we saw rain in the forecast, and the dirt roads would be nearly impossible to drive on for a Turtle if we were caught in wet weather! So we began our journey south to Roswell, not knowing that halfway there we’d decide to make a last-minute detour to Oklahoma City to see our friends Beth and Jonathan!

Which is why as I write this, we are in Elk City, Oklahoma. We found a great free spot for RV’s just south of town on a lake, and it even has water, electric, and lot of nice red dirt for Gracie to roll in! So everyone’s happy.

Bandelier National Monument: Freakin’ Awesome

We LOVE Bandelier National Monument. And a day before we went there, we didn’t even know it existed! We happened to see it in our New Mexico Atlas while we planned our route to Los Alamos, and were very pleasantly surprised when we arrived. Even the Visitor’s Center is awesome.

Here you can see the abandoned cave dwellings of the Pueblo people, who lived here for hundreds of years in Frijoles Canyon.

You even get to climb into a number of the dwellings. It’s incredible.

The ring you see down below is the ruins of other dwellings, in what was basically the town square.

I’ve been known to surreptitiously piggyback on nearby tours, and here we were lucky enough to be right behind a small group with a very knowledgable tour guide. I’m pretty sure once we started asking her questions they were on to us, but the whole group was nice enough to let us follow them around and learn a bunch more than we would have from the brochure alone. I was especially amazed when she told us that the smallest indentations in the rock were carved to serve as ladders! These 3″ round holds would go straight up a vertical rock to reach other ledges. In the above photo, you can see the littlest dents running up the left side of the furthest-back rock wall, which gave access to the upper shelf, where a number of petroglyphs were carved into the rock. Crazy!

You can also continue past the main trail to the Alcove House, where you climb three ladders and some stone stairs up 140′ to a cave that houses a kiva and has a great view of the canyon.

We loved it.

Afterwards, we stayed a few nights in Los Alamos, where we went to museums and took tours, learning about the Manhattan Project and the old Ranch School in Los Alamos.

On our way to Albuquerque, we stopped at Spence Hot Springs for a soak, which is an easy hike to a not-hot-but-warm natural springs with a gorgeous view of the valley.

The weather began to get chilly, and the springs felt just all right enough to stay. The source of the springs is in the cave, so when the sun went behind the clouds, we crawled in and warmed up a bit in the cozy sauna.

Then right before sunset, we stopped at the Jemez Historic Site to check out the old mission ruins.

We drove through the red rocks of Jemez Valley into Albuquerque at sunset, right past the sign pointing us to the Ojito Wilderness, where we’d return to spend a week just a few days later.

Two Weeks in Diablo Canyon, New Mexico

One of our favorite places to “live” is on BLM land, and if they didn’t have a rule that you can only stay a maximum of 14 days, we would likely still be in Diablo Canyon right now.

We were looking for some sunshine, and we got it! This spot is great. It has four primitive camp sites, which is our favorite since we come equipped with everything we need, and we get far fewer neighbors.

We did see loads of people, though, as it’s a really popular spot for climbers. The edge of the canyon is a really clean vertical, and we saw climbers up there every day.

The weather was warm and sunny, and we all got to do our favorite things outside.

Andy got to work on the Turtle.

Scout got to go for 3-hour walks and hikes almost every day.

Gracie got to roll in the dirt, climb things, and explore outside. She just learned how to climb the ladder to get on top of the Turtle, and now we’ve gotten used to hearing the thumping of paws on the roof!

And I was in rock-collecting heaven. Everywhere we walked there was an endless array of beautiful rocks, and my pockets were constantly full. I couldn’t help it!

Over the course of our time there, we hiked to the top of the canyon, around the opposite edge of it and up and over, and all the way through to the Rio Grande.

We played all day, and earned our naps.

After a day of exploring, we were happy to put our feet up and watch the desert sunsets, around the fire or under the awning wrapped in blankets.

We also met our neighbors, full-time travelers Eric and his darling dog Willow, and spent some time with them swapping travel stories. They’ve been all around, and also blog about their time on the road here. Go say hello! 🙂

They even gifted a squeaky stuffed worm to Scout, which he loves and has been dropped into our lap many, many, many times. Thanks guys!

On our last day there, we woke up to a bizarre surprise:

Snow!

We thought that was pretty well timed, since we’d reached our 14-day limit! So we traveled back into Santa Fe to plan our next desert destination.

Great Sand Dunes National Park: Climbing Up & Sliding Down

With our compass pointed south we continued our quest for some sunshine, and found it as we neared Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. Andy was happy to channel The Dude with his sweet Lebowski shades as we pursued the sunny weather.

We were a little surprised to see how much snow was covering the ground, but it made for some dramatic views of the Greenhorn Mountains as we approached the entrance.

We found a little pullout along the road into the park, and stopped to admire the view. We noted that it would make a great spot to stay the night, in case the campground was closed for the season. We had found conflicting information about whether or not any campsites would be available this time of year, so we had our feelers out in search of potential real estate in the event that we couldn’t stay in the park.

As we drove on, the snow-covered dunes came into view, and every direction we looked was just stunning.

A quick stop at the Visitor’s Center saw our water filled and our questions answered about where we could stay the night in the park (nowhere). We had to assuage the concerns of the rangers who told us it was going to get “reeeal cold” that night if we were staying in our “car,” and we felt pretty pleased with our setup as we reassured him that we had heat, a warm bed, and a stove to cook a hot meal for the night. Ah, Turtle life.

We decided we’d return to our pullout to spend the night, but in the meantime we had an hour to two to run around on the dunes! Dogs are even invited, and Scout was so happy. His two favorite landscapes are sand and snow, and he couldn’t believe his luck in getting to play on both at once. A great day for everyone! (Gracie was sleeping in a sunbeam back in the Turtle, so she was happy too.)

I think Scout inherited my posture.

That’s better.

Pictures could never quite capture it, but as the sun shone on the snow it created an explosion of rainbow fragments flickering across the surface as we walked along. I’ve never seen anything like it.

We parked near the amphitheater to explore a bit, then had to head back to our overnight spot as the sun was beginning to set. (We have a list of rules we’ve compiled for successful overlanding, and the first rule is Never Drive At Night. We break it now and then, but life is much easier when we don’t.) One obvious benefit to traveling only during daylight is that we don’t miss the scenery, and I was very pleased we made it in time for sunset so we could admire the view.

The next morning we woke up and drove right back to the parking lot outside the dunes for a long hike to the top. We packed a lunch and set out, and as we walked across the snowy dunes, Andy reminded me of a conversation we’d had earlier this year. . .

When we were visiting the Badlands, I was in such awe as we walked across Door Trail; I’d never been in such an incredible place before. It seemed so otherworldly and dreamlike, aside from the distraction of those other humans roaming around. I told Andy that I wished I could have the Badlands all to myself, for my birthday or some special day—just once. Always the voice of reason, Andy responded, “Well. . . I think that restricting public use would kind of defeat the whole point of the National Park System.”

Ok, ok, I know. But it would be SO COOL, right?

Well as we ascended the first rise at Sand Dunes National Park, Andy pointed out that there had been no cars in the parking lot, and that there was not a soul anywhere. My birthday was a just a few days away, and he asked, “Is this close enough?” Yes, it was.

For over an hour, we were the only people on the dunes. It’s pretty exciting to accidentally have a wish granted.

I’d like to point out here that these pictures give no sense of depth; I was actually so high up on this dune that I was a little nervous to be standing that close to the edge!

We hiked up, up up, at an elevation of about 8,000 feet. I’m telling you, that air is thin. And the last dune was a real doozy! There was some vertical hands-and-knees climbing there at the last ascent.

So we were thrilled to reach the top!

There we ate our well-earned cheese and crackers, with olives for me and onions for Andy.

After our picnic, I had a surprise waiting for Andy: a trick up my sleeve that I borrowed from my dad, who was endlessly creative when it came to having fun. When I was a kid, on a family outing in the mountains of Montana, we happened upon a steep valley covered in snow. My dad grabbed some trash bags out of the car, and we had instant makeshift sleds to fly down that mountainside. So when I saw the dunes covered in snow, I squirreled a few black garbage backs into my pack before we left the Turtle, and once we were at the top, I handed one to Andy.

After a few trials, we learned that they worked brilliantly on the snow, and when we’d hit the sand it would slow us down quickly and stop us. So we stuck to the good patches of snow, and rode those garbage bags all the way down the dunes.

It was a short two days at Great Sand Dunes, but by the time we left we felt like we had really made the most of it. As we travel from one National Park to another, it never fails to amaze me how diverse and beautiful this country is. We can’t wait to see more!

Garden of the Gods: A Science Fiction Landscape

We continued our journey south, looking forward to our not-yet-determined sunny destination. Our original map had us winding through the parks in Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, etc. But when we saw how much of many of those parks we’d miss due to snow, we began to rethink our plan and dreams of sunshine began to creep up the priority list. So we scrapped the map and went rogue, making our way south through Colorado toward New Mexico.

Over a year ago as we were thinking of places we wanted to see, I had pinned our map with Garden of the Gods, and accidentally noticed it right before we were in the area and ever the good navigator, I planned ahead for a visit and directed us to the park on our way to Sand Dunes. The Visitor’s Center there is really well designed, with lots of great information and beautiful vignettes. They even have a 3-dimensional map of the road running through the rocks that lights up when you push a button with the name of a peak, so you know what’s what before you drive through.

We drove to the main parking lot and walked the biggest loop through the park with Scout. Pictures don’t do it justice, but they can at the least give you an idea of how massive and surreal these red rocks are.

Then we stayed a few nights in Colorado Springs, because we had some work to do and they have internet there. So we stopped in at Bristol Brewing, which is in the old Ivywild School, and we just loved it. The brewery is the main attraction, but they also have a cafe, a bakery, restaurant, and whiskey bar in the school. We had a beer and worked on our computers there, spent the night nearby, and returned in the morning for coffee!

We then drove to Pueblo, New Mexico, where Andy bought the coolest vintage Pendleton wool jacket, and we briefly ruled Westeros. It was a quick stop, so you probably won’t read about our reign, but it was benevolent and everyone had a great time.

Pueblo also has a neat outdoor train museum . . .

And a British Telephone Box in a parking lot . . .

And so many beautiful murals on every wall in town! We really enjoyed our stay in Pueblo, and I’d like to visit again with a little more time. But the call of the sun beckons.

And the trek south continues . . .

Winter in Rocky Mountain National Park

It was mid-January when we left South Dakota and began our journey south in search of sun. We learned a lot over the last few months about winterizing the Turtle, and have systems in place so we can go anywhere we want and live comfortably, even in single-digit temps. But seriously—we’re mobile and get to choose the climate in which we live. Let’s ditch the gloves and base layers and go play somewhere warm!

That was the idea, anyway. This story is not about finding the sun, but about the journey toward the sun that I am basking in as I write this. And that journey includes a National Park and a three trips down memory lane with awesome old friends.

First we stopped in Fort Collins to see my friend Rachel, who I hadn’t seen in 20 years! (There was much discussion about how that number was an impossibility, but the math doesn’t lie.) But even a couple decades couldn’t interfere with us picking right back up where we left off, and having hours of fun getting to know each other again. We were having so much fun gabbing, though, that I took no pictures! Only a few snaps in town as I walked Scout before bed. What’s that about? Having too much fun, of course. So I had to get one from her that we took after having coffee together the next morning. SO good to see you, Rach-o!

The next day we made the short trip to Boulder to check out the town since I’d never been. The highlights of our stay included Taco Tuesday at T-ACO (my favorite day of the week), Andy’s Lego picostomus,

the charming and bendy performer on Pearl St. who wriggled bum-first through a bucket,

Andy coming through on my request for a snow angel in the park,

and an unexpected early visit with our friend Rob, who we were going to see when we made it to Arvada, but happened to be in Boulder that night too!

Rob had to work through the rest of the week, so we took a trip over to Rocky Mountain National Park while we waited for the weekend.

We were lucky enough to get a clear sunny day upon our arrival, and had a beautiful snowshoe hike into the mountains.

As we got higher up, the ice crystals were so sharply defined and sparkling in the sun that I took a hundred pictures trying to capture the magic, and failed. So instead we ate some.

After a parking lot picnic, we drove up to Bear Lake to hike around, but the sun was starting to descend and not only was it getting chilly, the drifts there were so high that there wasn’t much to see aside from snow piles of various sizes.

Andy did find a bench, and we realized that what we thought were trail markers were actually a fence along the path that was nearly buried!

We should have known what we were in for, since the signs on the way up all looked like this:

There is one loop in the campsite that is open year-round, and a few of the spots had even been dug out already, so we picked one and called it a night. The next day we decided to take another snowshoe excursion, and as poor Scout was dying to run through the snow, we decided to walk around the expansive campground where dogs are allowed. It was overcast and cool, and the views even in the campground are stunning.

We left the park after our outing and drove to Arvada, where Rob lives. He’s a good friend who lived in our neighborhood when we lived in Portland, but his job took him to Colorado while we were still living there. We’ve missed him and his sweet fuzzy dog Kokanee very much, so what a treat to get to hang out again after a few years! He showed us the town, the Geology museum at the college in Golden, a great brunch spot, and the nearby park for Scout to catch Frisbees. And somehow, just like our visit with Rachel, I ended up with only a few pictures. And neither of them included us with Rob! We’ll have to go back soon.

Rachel had recommended that we check out Casa Bonita, a bizarre restaurant outside of Arvada with sub-par food and inexplicable ambiance. That girl still knows me well, because I was on Cloud Nine at that place! Yes, the line was staggeringly long, the cafeteria-style food was as shockingly bad, the place was jam packed, and still I loved it. They have divers jumping 30 feet into a small pool in the middle of the restaurant, fire jugglers, a guy in an ape suit, a spooky pirate cave, a mariachi band . . . it was hilarious! Andy agreed it was “pretty crazy” and suggested we go for a beer afterward. He’s a good sport.

After a too-short visit with Rob, we drove to Brighton to visit my friend Bev, who I hadn’t seen in 15 years. Once again, the years between were irrelevant, and we talked and laughed for hours, and only drove Andy and John a little bit crazy with our old jokes. It’s amazing to me how easy it is to pick up where you left off with real friends. If they hadn’t had to work the next day, we’d probably still be there playing games and being ridiculous in our usual way. Aaaaaand, once again, I’m full of great stories and low on photos. Love you Bearly! xoxo

It has been a dream come true to have enough time and flexibility to be able to reconnect with friends. This Turtle life is really making up for lost time, right? It’s also ensuring we’re able to continue checking National Parks off our list, with one more coming right up: Great Sand Dunes National Park.

The warm weather will have to wait! We’ve got some snowy dunes to climb.

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