Arrived in Durango last night and the campground was 10 miles out of town and ugly. It had beautiful views cause it was on a high ridge overlooking the town and the mountains beyond but the campground mostly had long term or year-round campers and a lot of junk. Kinda sad looking with lots of traffic noise but full hookups so adequate for our needs and inexpensive.
Brrr. Chilly here.
Took the Durango narrow gauge train ride. Dan and I took this trip a couple years ago and loved it. It is too early in the year to go all the way to Silverton (where the townspeople are in period dress and greet the train) but got 3/4 there.
This is a real coal-fired steam engine so if you go out to the open observation car, they recommend wearing sunglasses or other protective eyewear because of the coal cinders in the air.
The train follows the Aninmas river up through the mountains and is just an awesome trip. So awesome that we both wanted to experience it again and made a huge detour many miles out of our way. Also wanted to go to the great sand dunes but unfortunately are running short of time. There is SO much to see in the 4 Corners area. I have been a couple of times and would love to spend some more time in the future.
Loved wandering the Durango downtown. Forgot to tell you that Dan bought a cowboy hat in Santa Fe, so he fit right in wearing it in Durango.
April 12
Pursuaded Dan go through Gallup, NM on our way to Flagstaff, AZ. There is a wholesale store in that town called "An Indian Touch of Gallup" that I have been to twice before. They have a showroom, but if you hem and haw enough, they will let you in the wholesaler's room where the bargains are. They definitely have the best prices for turquoise and silver jewelry and we stopped with the excuse of purchasing some early Christmas presents. Now, whether or not the intended recipients actually receive these earrings or they never make it out of my jewelry box is another question.
April 14
Woke up here in Flagstaff, AZ (in Black Bart's RV campground, general store and restaurant) to 20 degrees and 3" of snow. Still coming down like crazy. We were supposed to get the dog groomed at 9:00 and then leave for California but I don't think we'll be going anywhere anytime soon. The TV keeps saying how beautiful the weather is and in the 70's and 80's but that's in Phoenix. We're in the high desert and apparently the altitude definitely makes a significant difference. Last time I was in Flagstaff, they had a heat wave and no one had air conditioning. Go figure.
We brought some winter clothes for Alaska and we broke them out along with a quilt I threw in at the last minute. Glad we have them. Had the fireplace going 24 hrs a day and the heat came on a lot. Covered the windows and slide-out cracks with towels and we were snug as a bug.
April 15
Digging out. Snowed all night and we woke up to the sun shining with about 7 inches on the ground. Again, we will be staying put until the roads melt a little and we can get the snow off the top of the slideouts. Poor Diesel - the snow is up to his snout. Seems to be melting fast so maybe we'll get going after lunchtime?
Dan pushed most of the snow off the one slideout and then took the hose and melted the rest. Glad we both brought our boots and grubby clothes - what a mess.
We would just stay put for another day but we are already behind in our schedule. Still have to meet up with the Caravan in Northern British Columbia by May 10.
Route 40, exit 123 in Arizona - billboard for the "Roadkill Cafe." Didn't stop.
April 16
As of yesterday, we have been on the road one month. Last nite's campground was very nice - neat, clean, friendly, lovely views of the surrounding mountains in Kingman, Arizona. It was also a "horse hotel," so we could have brought along our horses if we had them.
It has been very nice to find that a lot of the RV parks have fenced-in dog runs which makes it convenient for Diesel.
Had to go to an RV repair shop in Kingman since the pin on one of the front landing jacks wouldn't go in yesterday. We fooled and fiddled around in the snow and finally just tied it up and went on. We couldn't unhitch from the truck last night. Fortunately the repair shop took us right away. Also, since our toilet had not been holding water in the bowl, we had them look at it too. Naturally, it was not a simple fix. Either the ball mechanism or the whole toilet should be replaced, so, we went ahead and replaced the whole toilet. What the heck - it's only money. We have blown our RV repairs budget in the first month. Oh boy.
Going through the Mojave desert - harsh, alien, almost lunar landscape - so empty and arid. Saw a green valley in the middle of the desert and turns out it was along the Colorado river. Actually, the desert has its own stark beauty. I thought the desert would be flat, but it is very hilly.
Also it is 82 degrees - hmmm after 20 degrees only two nights ago.
We stopped for gas at the only station in 85 miles and naturally, they charged us $5.49/gallon. Can you say ripoff?
Some more funnies on the way:
"Fang Acupuncture Clinic" - wonder if he's from the Twilight series?
"Nail House Rock" - does Elvis do French manicures?
More later,
Enjoying reading about your travels Ro! (ps. its Jen)
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