Ellen's Trip Log

Santa Fe

Hi,

Yesterday we left Grants for Santa Fe, via Albuquerque. The sun swept us east toward Santa Fe, with Albuquerque like a bright mirage. The clover leaf freeways were painted terre cotta and turquoise. The visual effect was mesmerizing, as we floated under and over the woven paved roadways. We had never seen anything quite like it. The pueblo like buildings nestled into the landscape, a sea of terre cotta boxes, all angular and similar.

Arriving in Santa Fe, we docked at the Rancheros de Santa Fe, rather a natural setting, with dirt paths, pole fences and pinion pines. There were 3 Airstream trailers in the campground, one right next to ours. The proud owners of a Safari, all shiny and new. They were from Houston, and bound for the Oregon border. Jo Ann and George came for lunch. We met in the late afternoon at the Regal Cinemas to see a viewing of Expelled by Ben Stein. Lots of food for thought- deep thought. Afterwards, we met at Maria's, a New Mexican cuisine restaurant for a taste of the spices of Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico. We were not disappointed with our adventure in eating. It was spectacular. A wonderful meal.

Today, we took our GMC to the local dealershop to have a GSR detector put on the truck. It was sticking, and we needed to have it looked at. We left the truck there, and Jo Ann and George picked us up. We drove first to the Santa Fe Institute, above Santa Fe and East. It appeared to be the dwelling place of the upper echelons, because the houses were in gated communities, and the surrounding area very well landscaped. The Institute, long of interest to both George and Russ was like a dream come true. The building itself was originally a private home, belonging to Admiral Hurley, and donated to the Institute. It is perched on the mountainside, overlooking Santa Fe and the surrounding mountains, some of which still had snow on them. George told the reception person that they came to "genuflect at the shrine of Systems Engineering". The man was most amused. He welcomed the four of us with coffee and an invite to sit in the courtyard of the institute. Guided tours have to be arranged ahead of time, but after seating us, he said that if we waited perhaps a 1/2 hour the vice president would join us. And join us he did, Chris Wood sat with us for over an hour, explaining the philosophy of the Institute, and giving generously of his time. We were so well treated at the Institute, it was so far beyond our expectations, we felt a surge of happiness and appreciation for their kindness.

Then we were off to the Plaza, to browse, and take in some of the Santa Fe ambiance. Again, it did not disappoint. Taking the advice of a local, we dined on the balcony of the Ore House on the Plaza. The food was great, and the location perfect for people watching. After, we walked to Loretto Chapel to see the mysterious staircase, with no visable central supports, built by an equally mysterious carpenter, who spend 6 months building it, then disappeared, without payment.

We strolled on around the Plaza. George and Russ hung divined an Ink Shop, and George purchase an Object de Art- an elegant ink bottle in an equally elegant box. Not just any ink bottle- one of a kind. Contemplating their purchase over coffee at Starbucks, they people watched, while Jo Ann and I visited museum gift shops and jewelry stores. Our big purchase was the recommended cookbook of Santa Fe cuisine. After, George and Jo Ann dropped us off the pick up our truck, and head home for a nap. Russ and I took a slight detour to St Miguel Chapel, built in 1610, which we found quite charming, with a hand painted altar, carved beams and a bell said to be from the 14th century, sent from Spain.

Russ and I returned to the trailer, and Jo Ann and George came for a light repast. As we look back on the day, it has been a very interesting, and nice one- full of sights, sounds, color, and mystery- Santa Fe is a nice place.

Tomorrow we are off to Bandelier National Monument, and a leisurely drive through the countryside outside of Santa Fe. We will hike, picnic, and savor our last day together with Jo Ann and George. They will be off the next day to Las Cruces and Tucson, and we will be off to Roswell, and then to Big Bend National Park in Texas. Our great adventure continues. We have enjoyed every minute.

We trust that all is well in your neck of the woods,

Love,

Ellen/ MOM/ Grandma

Ice Caves and El Moro

Hi,

Today dawned sunny and mild. The KOA offered a breakfast in their common room, and we could not resist. Other travelers, RV'ers like us were sharing their travels over the morning repast. We met some really interesting people from Portland, OR. They were members of the Nascar circuit, and were on the way to Oregon from Texas. They were driving a 45 ft, 14 ft high super motor home, pulling a car. The length of their two vehicles was 64 ft. They were to deliver the rig to Oregon for a Nascar team to stay in. After the race there, they were headed for Iowa for another race. They asked if they should drive # 191 through Arizona up to Utah. We had a Western Mountain Directory that gives the lengths and specs for particular roads. # 191 limits vehicles to 40 feet, and has a tunnel that is 12 ft. So, they were very happy to have some advice, and planned to take another road. We lingered over coffee, enjoying sharing experiences.

Jo Ann was laid low with a bad cold, and George planned to nurse her today. So, Russ and I assembled a picnic, and headed for the Ice Caves and Bandera Crater. Our friends the O"Connors, who own the land and Trading Post, had to accompany her Father to the hospital in Albequerque, so were not there. But, we visited the Caves and were welcomed very warmly by their staff. Russ had not seen the Ice Caves, and was really impressed. I had seen them in 1973, but the ice then was 12 feet deep, and has grown to 20 feet deep. It is blue/green, due to Arctic Algae that grow in the ice. The cave remains year round at 31 degrees. Bandera Crater is behind the Trading Post. The Rim is 8,300 ft in altitude. From the rim of the crater one can see at least 15 craters in a chain of 29. The eruption was about 10,000 years ago, but they date the ice in the cave at around 4,000 years old. In the Trading Post, there are baskets, very very old, which were found in small caves near the collapsed lava tubes. The indians stored food there, and some of the caches were never found, or forgotten for many years, sometimes centuries. We enjoyed a picnic lunch in the sun, outside the Trading Post, and then headed to El Morro.

El Morro is an immense rock formation, with a freshwater pool at the base of the cliff. The height was from 500 ft to 800 ft. We followed a trail to the pool, and then around the base of the cliff, viewing petroglyphs, both ancient, and ones from the Spanish explorers in the early 1600's, and pioneers, soldiers, and some later. The keepers of the National Monument were very knowledgeable about the history of the rock.

We had a leisurely drive back to Grants, and did some wash in the laundry room, and ordered pizza for dinner. The KOA delivers it right to our trailer. Jo Ann and George came for supper. Jo Ann was ailing with her bad cold, but she did enjoy the pizza and visiting. We sure hope she feels much better tomorrow. We are off to Santa Fe, not a long drive. Then we can set up for several days, and enjoy the history of Old Santa Fe.

As the sun was setting over the pink and mauve cliffs of New Mexico, we looked back on a nice day. Grants is a small town, but has grown since I saw it in the 70's. It has more amenities, and is slightly larger.

We hope all is well in your neck of the woods,

Love,

Ellen/ MOM/ Grandma

Flagstaff to Grants

Hi,

Yesterday, we were off after breakfast to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It had been really windy the day before, so we wondered if we would be nearly blown off the Rim. But, the winds died down, and we had a lovely day. We arrived at El Tovar, the grand hotel on the Rim, about 11 am. We decided to eat an early lunch. It was most fortuitous, because we were first in line for lunch, and were seated before a huge picture window, looking out across the canyon. We would have been happy to have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with that view ! But, the food was spectacular- we had the El Tovar Salad, and Beef Tenderloin Chili. What a wonderful meal ! We even took pictures of our food- gringos- tourists !

After lunch Jo Ann, George, Russ and I strolled the mile or so along the rim to the Artists Studio and more views of the canyon. We took a plethora of photos of each other- perhaps for our Christmas cards this year. Russ and George had a mission to survey a weather station not far from the hotel, so Jo Ann and I did some Retail Therapy- thank you Jo Ann for the term. The gift shops were a whirl of color, and the Artists Studio had a small gallery of paintings of the canyon. We stopped by Bright Angel Hotel, which had yet another historical lobby and small museum on the Fred Harvey Food Service in the late 1800's and early 1900's. We met the guys back at the hotel, and moved on to overlooks, and a drive down # 89 to Flagstaff. There are some awesome canyons along the road, some have very steep sides, and almost bottomless abysses.

Dinners on the road have been alternating, with Russ and I cooking in the trailer, and Jo Ann and George cooking either in the trailer, or in their hotel rooms. We really enjoy the discussions of the evening- most interesting and stimulating. The food has been very good, and the company too.

We drove to Grants, NM today. It was a leisurely drive, with colorful mesas on one or the other side of the road. On the way we tarried in Holbrook to take photos of the our old house there, and survey yet another weather station. We arrived at the KOA campground and set up. Jo Ann and George hosted us for dinner in their Best Western Suite. I was treated to a shower, which was most appreciated. Jo Ann and George regaled us with their tour of Art Galleries in Gallup today. They were enjoying Retail Therapy, and found some lovely southwestern jewelry.

Our friends, the O'Connors who own the Ice Caves near Grants, had a family emergency and are on their way to Albequerque to tend Janet's Father in the hospital. But, we plan to go to the Ice Caves anyway, and perhaps see some other sights. There is a Wolf Sanctuary nearby, and some historical sites.Tomorrow, we will be off to Santa Fe for several days.

The winds last night in Flagstaff were amazing. The trailer rocked back and forth. We would hear something outside and wonder if anything was amiss. But, all was intact this morning. The interesting thing was that on the road with the wind blowing, and gusting, the trailer did not seem to sway. It moved right along behind us, even when the wind was very strong. Perhaps the rounded construction of the body is fairly aerodynamic.

I will close for now. All is well, and other than the winds, the days are sunny. The high today was about 68, the nights have been in the 20's and 30's on the trip so far. Tonight, tho, is 50 degrees. So, maybe it will be warmer. The Ice Caves are at an altitude of 8,500 ft, so winter may still be there.

We trust that all is well in your neck of the woods,

Love,

Mom/ Ellen/ Grandma

Carson City to Flagstaff

Hi,

It is Saturday. The time has flown by with a new place each night. We drove down # 395, with the views of the beautiful snowed capped Sierras as the backdrop against a blue sky. It was sunny, but cool. We visited Manzanar near Lone Pine. It was sobering to see the site of the Japanese Internment Camp. The museum was very interesting. We settled in at the Boulder Creek Campground. Had a delicious dinner, and a post prandial walk after. Lone Pine hosts a Film Festival every October. Many western movies were filmed nearby in the Alabama Hills. The campground has reunion photos in their common room, with many movie stars that we recognized.

By Friday, we had traveled all the way to Laughlin, NV. On the way, we saw the topography change, the desert in bloom. Jo Ann took some lovely photos of flowers they saw on an off road jog, to visit a favorite camping area where they took  their family some years ago. We took the River Road north to the campground, and it was rather bumpy. When we opened the trailer, we had to do some redding up, as some things had moved to new locations in the trailer. For dinner, we went to the Aquarius Casino Buffet in Bullhead City, on the Colorado River. The restaurant looked out on the river, and the lights on the other side. We had a spectacular dinner buffet, the feature that night was Seafood- can you imagine- I was in heaven. Just about every kind of fish you could imagine. The weather was warm, and we broke out our summer clothes for the evening outing.

We have had a wonderful time on the day drives. Jo Ann and George Rebane are traveling in their "RV" Jeep Grand Cherekee. Their rented motor home had to be returned due to broken sliders, so they are camping in motels, meeting us for lunch along the road, and joining us for dinner in the trailer or a night out.

Today, Saturday, was the day of the refrigerator mishaps. Due to some bumpy roads, a cannister of sour cream liberated itself inside the frig. White everywhere. It was almost lunch time, and Jo Ann and George were due any minute. We rearranged some things in the frig, and placed a can of whipped cream in the door. Evidently, on closing the frig, something contacted the tip of the can, and when we again opened the frig, we had whipped cream liberally covering most of the front of the frig. We were still cleaning it up as they arrived at the rest stop. Never a dull moment.

Yesterday, Russ pulled in to a rest area to check the hitch on the trailer. He stepped out of the truck, and after checking the hitch, walked into the trailer, all the way to the bedroom, then came out again. We discovered that he had stepped in dog doo, and tracked it on every throw rug in the trailer. We rolled up the faux oriental carpets and placed them in the back of the truck, and brought out some washable throw rugs we had brought with us. We will clean the other carpets when time allows.

The drive from Laughlin, to Kingman, and on to Flagstaff was breathtakingly beautiful. The changing topography was so lovely, with the different colored rocks, the cliffs, the mesas. We settled in to our campsite, while coping with 60 mph winds. We decided to wash the truck, and that was an interesting experience, with high winds blowing through the self wash stall. Russ and I decided we had been washed along with the truck. But, it was wonderful to have a clean truck. We had a lovely dinner with Jo Ann and George in their spacious suite at the Best Western in Flagstaff. Tomorrow we are off on a day long adventure to see the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

We trust that all is well in your neck of the woods, and hope that you are enjoying this lovely spring.

Love,

Ellen, Grandma, MOM

Grand Tour: Launched from home

Ellen Steele

We launched from home yesterday about 1:30 pm. We hit he floor running at 6 ish, and kept going until we drove out the driveway. Jo Ann and George went on ahead to do the Cabelas experience and meet us in Carson City. They moved to Plan B when their rented motor home malfunctioned at their home- the sliders refused to work, and after a repairman came up from Auburn, they still would not work. They had to return the motor home to Sacramento. They decided to move to plan B, and accompany us on the trip in their car, staying at hotels each night, and eating with us in the trailer.

Comstocks campground in Carson City is nice, friendly. We spent the evening inside the trailer, because it was windy and cold outside. This morning, it is 26 degrees. The trailer heater is huffing away, making it very comfortable inside. We are off to Lone Pine today- hoping to stop for lunch at the Basque Bakery in Bishop. We did not unhook, so the morning prep should be minimal. The day is sunny and clear, with a view of the snow capped mountains around Lake Tahoe. The drive around the lake yesterday afternoon was spectacular- we always enjoy views of the lake.

I will close to start day 2 of our adventure. We hope to see some wild life along the way,

Ellen/MOM/Grandma