T&C Southwest Adventure 2021

Well. here we are in Texas — no mistaking this guy for a Maine moose!

We left New Mexico just after sunrise on Friday (picture below) and drove south into Texas and then east to San Antonio and my sister’s house.

Driving east on I-10 across Texas, the speed limit was 80 mph and even though we held that speed in the Roadtrek, many cars were passing us, some soaring past. Here’s Carol holding at 80 mph.

On Saturday, after an oil change for the Roadtrek, my sister, Aimee, took us into San Antonio. The first stop, of course, was to the Alamo.

Afterward we had lunch on the River Walk.

On Sunday, we spent the day in Fredericksburg — had a great breakfast/lunch at a German bakery/restaurant — and then went on to Johnson City and the Lyndon Baines Johnson State Park and historic site, including LBJ’s Texas White House.

Today it’s on to Houston to visit our nephew and his wife, Matthew and Heather.

Today was mainly a travel day, 457 miles from Albuquerque to Carlsbad, New Mexico — a lot of open prairie with cattle and occasional pronghorn. But when we reached Carlsbad, we immediately went to the Carlsbad Caverns National Park — we arrived just before 2 p.m. and the entrance to the caverns was closing at 2:15. There was plenty of time to explore once inside and we took a 1.5-mile loop to the Big Room (above photo).

These caverns date back 265 million years when it was a 400-mile-long, horseshoe reef along the edge of an inland sea that covered what is now southeast New Mexico and west Texas.

The immense formations of columns, stalagmites, crystals and columns were amazing and the cave was mammoth. There was so much to see and it was imossible to take in all of the details.

It also was pleasantly cool, which was a bonus because it was 95 degrees outside. Is this October?

Just before sunset, we went back to the Caverns for the Night Flight of the Brazilian free-tailed bats. We sat in an amphitheater facing the large opening of a cave. A park ranger described what was going to happen and almost to the minute she told us they would begin exiting, swarms of bats spiraled up and out — thousands flew in formations, some directly over us, but most heading out into the valley to feast on moths and other night-flying insects. The bats remain out until just before dawn. The ranger said it is estimated that there are one-half million bats living in the cave. She also told us on some nights (but not this one), hawks and owls fly though the outward bound bats and have feasts of their own.

Sorry — no photos. Cameras and cell phones are not allowed because the electronic pulses interfere with the bats flying patterns. Everyone also was told to be absolutely quiet.

On our way to Carlsbad, we stopped in Roswell to see the International UFO Museum and Research Center. Most of the museum documented the 1947 crash near a ranch in Roswell of a U.S. Air Force weather balloon. Conspiracy theories say the balloon collided with a “flying disc” and that the Air Force recovered the disc and the government covered it up.

What was most interesting was that almost every business on Main Street had some form of alien worked into its signage.

Of course, I can’t close out this blog without one more image of the Albquerque Balloon Fiesta. This shot was taken at sunrise as we were packing up and preparing to leave the campground.

There likely will not be a blog tomorrow. We’re traveling almost 500 miles out of New Mexico into Texas to spend the weekend with my sister in San Antonio.

It was a strange day, but in the end entertaining, educational, frustrating at times, puzzling, but overall fulfilling in the Land of Enchantment (Tierra del Encanto).

We’ll start with our second day at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. We were up at 5:15 again, but when we walked down to the launch field, there was a light rain and it was announced the Morning Glory launch of a dozen balloons, firing their propane jets in the pre-dawn sky, would not take place. Eight balloons remained tethered and fired a few bursts to illuminate their multi-colored canopies, but that was the extent of it.

It also was announced that the mass ascension of balloons was being delayed because of the weather. We went back to our camper for breakfast but within an hour we heard on the radio that launches would begin.

It turned out to be a beautiful morning once the sun broke through the clouds, but the mass ascension was scaled back because of COVID. This was International Day, but unlike 2019 when 20 or more nations were represented, there were only a half dozen this year. But it didn’t matter — it was still spectacular.

After we watched all of the balloons launch and remained to see a few return to the same field, we drove into the hills of Albuquerque to the Petroglyph National Monument in Boca Negra Canyon. It features more than 25,000 highly fragile petroglyph images pecked into dark boulders along the volcanic cliffs. They possess deep spiritual significance for today’s Pueblo Indians and other native people. It is the largest petroglyph concentration in North America.

Archeologists believe they date back 3,000 years.

The National Park Service and the City of Albuquerque took control of the portions of the Rio Grande Valley in which the petroglyphs were discovered, in part (very sadly) because individuals were carving graffiti onto the same stones on which the petrolyphs were found.

We took one of the shorter trails through the canyon but still saw many examples of the petroglyphs.

From the Boca Negra Canyon, we drove to the Old Town portion of Albuquerque, looking for more of the local culture and food. This is when the day became a little more of a challenge. As we approached Old Town, police had blocked most of the entrances and there was yellow crime tape surrounding large sections of the area. We wound through side streets searching for somewhere to park, only to be turned back by traffic and more police presence. We later found out there had been a shooting at the Walgreens near where we had driven.

We eventually found a parking lot that wasn’t blocked by yellow tape or already overflowing with other cars and RVs and began our search for a restaurant to have lunch. We went past three in Old Town that displayed Closed signs and later were told many restaurants are closed either because of COVID or the inability to find help. We had seen much the same in Taos.

We finally found one that had an Open sign, but when we went in, the manager told us the police had told them to close for the day because of the shooting investigation. He told us he usually has six people working in the kitchen, but currently had only two. He recommended a place a few blocks down the street.

Garcia’s Cafe on Route 66 was open! It was, however, a real challenge finding something that wouldn’t be too spicy — dumb Easterners not realizing we’re in New Mexico and most everything is going to be spicy. Carol ordered the Combination Plate of a beef taco, cheese enchilada and pork tamale. I ordered the Flauta Plate with beef, green peppers, onions, guacamole and Spanish rice.

Mine was relatively mild, except for the guacamole, but Carol said her lips were burning and a little numb. So much for sampling Southwest cuisine. We later bought some ice cream in Old Town to ease our digestion.

We spent a few more hours in Old Town, listening to a Mariachi Band in the park (with people dancing in front of the stage) and going into the San Felipe de Neri Catholic Church, the oldest church in Albuquerque, having served its people since 1706.

We finished the day at the Albuquerque Natural History Museum, learning more about New Mexico’s volcanic history and the dinosaurs that once roamed the land.

It also was a day to enjoy varieties of cactus.

It was quite a day! Tomorrow it’s on to Carlsbad Caverns National Park with a short stop along the way in Roswell in search of ET.

Wow! What a day!!

We were up at 5:15 and walked about 100 yards to where the balloons would be launched, beginning at 6, in the 49th Albuquerque Balloon Fesita. Steve and Judith Hill were here in 2019 and told us how amazing it was to walk through the launch field right next to the baskets and balloons as they were being inflated. But until you see it in person, it’s impossible to describe how exhilarating the experience really is — especially because it begins in total darkness with the only flashes of light being the propane jets inflating the balloons.

That being said, and because we have limited battery power in the campground (no elecric or water) to upload this blog, we’ll let the images speak for themselves:

And the spectacular balloon launches were only the beginning of our day.

Even before the final balloons had finished landing, we began driving north to the 100-mile long High Road to Taos. It often was only 25-35 mph speeds, but the views of the mountains and the diversity of the small villages that dotted the journey, it was a relaxing, enjoyable way to spent the rest of the morning. We even saw snow on top of the mountains around Taos.

After walking through the old town portion of Taos, we turned back south to Santa Fe. Along the way through winding mountain passes, we watched these rafters maneuver through some rapids.

In Santa Fe. we once again went to the old town portion of the city and the highlight was finding the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Just two days earlier the church had held its annual Blessing of the Animals to honor St. Francis, the patron saint of animals and the environment. It also had us thinking of our own church in Cape Elizabeth holding a similar event on the same day.

We were able to enter the cathedral less than five minutes before it was closing for the day.

We’ll be up again early tomorrow for our second day at the Balloon Fiesta, this one featuring Flight of the Nations.

Through Carol’s hot spot on her phone, we’re currently are listening to the Red Sox-Yankees wild-card game!

We made it to Albuquerque, 315 miles direct east from Flagstaff. For most of the trip it was desolate prairie across Arizona and almost as soon as we crossed into New Mexico, there were beautiful multi-colored mountains. About halfway we surpassed 5,000 miles for the trip.

Above is the North Campground at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. We are in the middle of the pack and only three rows from the open grounds were the balloons will be launched tomorrow morning.

It was in the upper 80s when we arrived, but it has cooled off quickly with the sun setting. We are now on Mountain Time. Below is what the launch field looked like this afternoon. It will look significantly different at sunrise tomorrow.

Balloons launch at 7 a.m. with some “Morning Glow” balloons going up at 6. By 8 we’ll have the rest of the day to ourselves and our plan is to drive the High Road to Taos, a 105 mile scenic route with mountain views, “charming” towns and villages, galleries, and museums. It starts in Santa Fe.

A story I forgot to share on yesterday’s blog: Early on the morning we were preparing to leave the Grand Canyon, two elk wandered through our campground between campers. A man from Long Island came over to me and wanted to know (seriously) whether they were camels! When I told him they were elk, he responded, “But they don’t have antlers.” I told him they were cows and the bull elk would likely be along shortly. His response, “Oh.”

Today was originally planned for travel, laundry and relaxation prior to moving on to Albuquerque tomorrow and the Balloon Fiesta. But before checking into our KOA campground in Flagstaff, Arizona, we visited the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument.

We walked through mazes of jagged volcanic rock and black sand-like volcanic ash.

This all was from an eruption sometime between 1040 and 1100, the most recent in a six million-year history of volcanic activity in the Flagstaff area. We never thought of Arizona as having a volcanic history.

Colorful flowers grow throughout the hardened rock.

The interesting view of the Sunset Crater is that one side has plentiful growth while black volcanic ash still dominates the other, some 900 years after the eruption.

It was an unexpected and fascinating discovery.

From the Balloon Fiesta, we’re not sure what type of internet access will be available, so this blog may be dark for a few days — or maybe not!

Two senior citizens from Maine aren’t the most authentic looking cowpokes, but on this morning along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, they did the best they could — and had a great time.

It was a three-hour ride along the rim and though we were somewhat disappointed we did not venture into the canyon — like we did in Bryce Canyon — three hours in the saddle was all we could handle.

We always thought mules were a lot smaller, but the ones we rode were part mule and part quarter horse. Carol rode Dusty and I was on Twinky. Twinky liked to edge out and look into the canyon, but our trail leader told us mules are a lot smarter than horses and would never consider taking the big leap.

A few more images from our ride and the canyon beside us:

After our ride, we got much-needed showers and had a late lunch/early dinner in the El Tovar Hotel, the Grand Canyon’s premier lodge. Thank you to Steve and Judith Hill for recommending for us to have a meal there — like they enjoyed in 2019. And we did!

Being in the Southwest, Carol ordered the Traditional Navajo Taco.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking along the South Rim, searching for California condors. We spoke with a park ranger who told us it’s difficult to tell the difference between a condor and a turkey vulture. They both have white horizontal patterns under their wings and they both glide on the thermals above the canyon and rarely flap their wings. We think what we mostly saw today were vultures.

Tomorrow we head south to Flagstaff and then it’s on to Albuquerque for the Balloon Fiesta.

I’m going to let the images tell more than words in this blog. We spent the day exploring the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, driving the Desert View road 25 miles out to that end of the canyon, stopping at many of the overlooks, and ending at the iconic watchtower. We then took one of the park’s shuttle buses in the opposite direction to Hermit’s Rest.

The canyon goes on forever — it’s 277 miles long, about a mile deep, close to 10 miles across and the overall size is about the size of Delaware.

Our day began just outside our Roadtrek motorhome. Some young bull elk were following a few cows through the roads of the campground and when a larger bull began bugling, the younger ones scattered, but not before locking their antlers right by the Roadtrek. One of the other campers had gouges in its side panels from elk antlers. It was an amazing show from the rut season.

It was a perfect day weather-wise with temperatures in the low 60s and much less haze and smoke from the California wildfires.

We saw some large turkey vultures, but unfortunately, no condors.

But, of course, there were plenty of ravens.

We stayed on the South Rim until the sun set, walking back to the Roadtrek in the dark along the rim.

A few other images from today’s many explorations:

Tomorrow we’re taking a three-hour mile ride into the canyon. Our check-in time is 6:30 a.m. and temperatures are forecast to be in the 30s. We’ll rest well tomorrow night!

We have arrived at the Grand Canyon National Park. We’re staying inside the park at the RV Trailer Village. It was a 279-mile drive from Las Vegas, south past Lake Mead (we didn’t stop at Hoover Dam) into Arizona, east across a mainly barren plateau to Williams and then north to the Grand Canyon NP.

After spending more than a week embracing the natural wonders of Utah’s five national parks, it was a major letdown to spend a day in Las Vegas on Wednesday. The glitz, chaotic pace of walking up and down the strip and through the hotels and casinos, taking in the ever-present scents of cigarette and marajuana smoke, and being asked to have pictures taken with showgirls for $50 a pop — it was too much. We did have excellent appetizers and drinks at Morimoto’s in the MGM Grand and a dinner buffet covering eight kitchens in Caesars Palace. But the rest was a worthless use of our time and energy — we walked 11 1/2 miles (more than 23,000 steps on my fitbit) throughout the afternoon and evening and by the time we took an Uber back to our KOA campground, we were stuffed and exhausted!

We wanted to see Vegas — now we have — and that’s where the story will end. For the record, here are two images of walking down the Vegas Strip at night:

It was with much relief and peace of mind to be back in the majestic arms of still another of this country’s greatest wonders. We drove out to Mather Point and took a shuttle bus to Yavapai Point, spending time at each, just walking along the rim of the canyon and watching the shadows move across the rock formations as the sun began to set.

After dinner, we drove back out one of the rim roads to find some good viewing of the night sky.

I’m still experimenting with time exposures of the stars.

This is an image from our campsite at Zion at 2 a.m., just before the moon came through the clouds:

Tomorrow will be largely spent taking shuttles throughout the park, exploring many of the sites and perhaps doing a little hiking — but not too deep into the canyon, We’ll be taking mule rides into the canyon on Saturday morning — we have to be at the corral at 6:30 a.m. It’s supposed to be in the low 30s!

Another quick blog. We’re at a campground just outside Zion National Park and the wifi once again is weak. Zion is our fifth national park in Utah and while we both agree Bryce was the most spectacular for its canyon views, the canyon walls of Zion are without equal. They are majestic and overwhelming to look up to, particularly when driving through a series of hairpin turns and the mountains grow taller with each curve.

We hiked on two trails, including the one above, the Riverside Walk along the Virgin River. Along the trail we met a curious squirrel and a young mule deer.

just before entering Zion, we stopped to see a herd of bison.

A couple of other images from today:

Not sure we will have a blog tomorrow — we’ll be in Las Vegas and you know what they way, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”!