2nd Year on the Road

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Jim Melvin

On July 12, 2012 I just completed my second year of fulltime RVing. I can’t believe I have been on the road so long. So once again, as I did last year, I will summarized this fantastic year with some of the highlights.

Remember you can click on any pic then click again to enlarge.

Working in Texas

To start I was in Texas and decided to work for a month to help defray costs of traveling to Texas to see my family. What a mistake that was. It was 106 degrees and higher the entire month I worked. Oh well I will definitely know better next time to stay away from there during the summer.

Grand Canyon of Texas

After my work duties were over I headed to Palo Dura State Park in northwestern Texas. It is know as the Grand Canyon of Texas and a very beautiful place. While there I hiked the Lighthouse Trail and took this pic of myself standing on the plateau in front of the lighthouse.

Taking advantage of my NM state pass

Then it was off to New Mexico where I wanted to take advantage of the last few months of my New Mexico State Pass. My first stop was Clayton SP.

Then on to Sugarite SP, just south of the NM/CO border. This next pic shows Lake Dorothy just north of Sugarite SP.

My next stop was Cimmaron SP and the town of Cimmaron.

Fulfilling a boy scout dream

I also visited Philmont Scout Ranch, which had always been a dream of mine ever since I was a Boy Scout.

More of beautiful new mexico

After that it was Eagle Nest SP, Coyote Creek SP (where I saw a bear), Storie Lake SP and then on to Villanueva SP where I got my semi-annual haircut. Finally it was off to Hyde Memorial SP.

Then in October I met up with all my good friends at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta where I stayed and partied for 10 days. Even had a balloon land on top of my rig. HA!

After the Balloon Fiesta I drove south to Poncho Villa SP to enjoy a Escapees Chapter 21 Rally. Of course that also included a trip to Palomas, Mexico where I had to have some dental work done and make sure the margaritas still tasted as good as always.

A visit to the Whitehouse

Next stop on my route was Canyon de Chelly (pronunced d’Shay). Located on an Indian Reservation it is a beautiful place and a must see for anyone in that area of Arizona. Of course I had to hike the Whitehouse Trail, which is so beautiful.

Monument Valley

From there it was to Monument Valley, UT. Talk about a fabulous area, don’t miss out on seeing this.

On my way to Amazon

Then I drove north to Interstate 50. It is known as the loneliest highway in America. And believe me it really is. You could drive for miles and miles and never see a car or truck in either direction. You would not want to break down on this road.

My destination was Fernley, NV, where I worked for Amazon for 8 weeks. By the way it was probably the hardest job I have ever had. Thankfully the 8 weeks went by fairly fast, although it took a couple of months to get healed from the aches and pains I suffered at that job. OUCH!!! On top of that it was very cold as well. Four degrees when I left there.

I then drove to Reno, NV and parked my rig and flew to SO CA to spend a week with my family over the holidays. It was really great seeing everyone and getting caught up. I even played some golf. Actually I tried to play some golf. HA! What a joke!

Time to warm up

Then I hit the road to get out of that cold weather up north and drove down to Quartzsite, AZ. There I met up with a whole bunch of Lazy Dazers (about 20 rigs at different times) and relaxed in the wonderful Arizona sunshine. Of course I also saw the crazy RV show and even saw a concert by Paul Winer (the Naked Book Seller) although he was fully clothed. Great show by the way with SRO.

With the help of all my friends I was able to upgrade my rig with new LED lighting, another 12v receptacle and an outdoor motion sensor light.

Next stop – Imperial Dam

In February I left Quartzsite and headed to Imperial Dam just outside of Yuma, AZ I really enjoyed my stay there with more friends. Got to do a lot of hiking in the desert. Plus don’t forget the wild donkeys. HA!

Heading south of the border senor!

Then it was south of the border to Mexico with the Harvest Host Wine and Whale Watching Tour. What a fabulous trip that turned out to be. Visited 5 wineries, with great wine tasting at each. The wineries were located in the Valley of Gaudelope with very beautiful scenery around. Also stopped in Ensenada for a day, where we had a great lunch down at the fish market and an opportunity to stock up on lots of great seafood. Of course we also had to have some cervasa’s (brewskies) at Hussong’s Cantina.

Later visited La Bufadora (the blow hole). Another very scenic spot.

The wineries were great plus the wine was even greater! Even got to see a colt that was born that very day. How exciting!

I am NOT an illegal alien!

After crossing back into the US I drove to Tamarisk LTVA where I stayed for a week and met some really wonderful people. We hiked ever day in the desert and one day we were surrounded by Border Patrol cars who thought we were illegal aliens. No comprende Senor! What a trip that was!

One of my very favorite spots

After spending so much time with so many wonderful people, I needed a break and decided to head for one of my most favorite spots in the Clark Dry Lake bed of the Anza Borrego desert in southern California. It is 7 miles outside of Borrego Springs. This place is so peaceful and always gives me a chance to reflect on my future plans. It was here where I made my resume on workamper.com and emailed it to various people. Within 10 minutes I had a call for the job I would be working at this summer. More on that later.

Back to the coast

Then it was off to the west coast to Oceanside, where I parked my rig at the Elks Club and took the train up to Orange County to see family. It was back and forth visiting different members of my family and it was great seeing my Mom. Love you Mom!

Heading up north

Then it was time to hit the road and head up north. My first stop was the Trona Pinnacles outside of Ridgecrest, CA. It is like a trip to another planet.

From there it was off to the Alabama Hills just outside of Lone Pine, CA. This has been one place I always dreamed of venturing to even before I had an RV. An absolute MUST SEE.

From there it was off to Mona Lake, where I stayed for about 5 days and ventured around the area seeing the tufa’s at the edge of the lake and the weird cloud formations.

I also took a side trip to the old ghost town of Bodie, CA. Much of the town is still intact as it was a hundred years ago. Really neat and another MUST SEE.

Then I finally made it to Oregon where I stayed at Goose Lake SP, La Pine SP and finally Crooked River Ranch.

My workplace for the summer

I met up with my area managers who I would be working for the summer in Prineville, OR. I am the camp host at the Ochoco Divide, a NFS campground. It is on the summit (4,726′ elevation) of Hwy 26. This campground is nestled among giant (200′) Ponderosa Pines among other pine trees as well. I have now been here 2 months and love this job. I get to meet a lot of interesting people and have lots of areas to hike in.

Well that about wraps up another fabulous year of my fulltime RV lifestyle. There were some tough times (truck breaking down) and some great times (caravan trip to Mexico) as well as taking time out to see my family, which is very important to me. I had lots of times spent with great friends and even some time to myself to ponder how lucky I am.

I almost can’t believe it has been two years since I have set out on the road. I would also like to thank all my wonderful followers who have been with me as I experienced each and every day. Every day is a new adventure.

Sugarite Canyon State Park

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Jim Melvin

No sugar in Sugarite…

My next stop would be Sugarite Canyon State Park just north of Raton, NM on the Colorado/ New Mexico border.. There is only one campground up there and the area was hit hard by the fires this past summer. I did venture a couple of miles up the road to another area where they were building another campground, but it was full of heavy equipment and no one was allowed up there. I was able to sneak in since the crew had all gone to lunch. Then I traveled further north to beautiful Lake Dorothey, right on the New Mexico/ Colorado boarder. I took a few pics there before venturing back to the campground where I would look for a site.

There were lots of electric/water sites available but only one developed site left which I took. The camp hosts have been hosts for the past eleven years and I had a great conversation with them. This is a pic of the sun rising over the mountains across from my campsite.

Fire swept through here…

I was disappointed that there were not more hiking trails available, but they had been closed due to the fire. The camp host said they were very lucky that they did not lose the campgrounds during the fires. You could see where it came right down to the campsite and jumped completely over it and continued across the road. I decided to stay only one night and then venture on to Cimarron Canyon State Park the following day. I had several stops along the way so got an early start. This is a view of the beautiful surrounding countryside while parked across from the visitors center.

If only I had a fishing license…

I spoke with one old codger (like me) who told me all about the great fishing in the area. He mentioned that he had caught several 12” trout out of Lake Dorothy the day before and was going back for more. I wish I had a fishing license, but since I was only staying in New Mexico for a short time I couldn’t see spending the money for one. Besides I really need a bit more equipment, which I cannot afford at this time. That is one of my goals next year. But it was fun talking to those who have had great fish stories to tell. I only spent one night at Sugarite Canyon. It is a wonderful place and I would like to return when I can spend more time hiking and fishing.

Clayton Lake State Park and Capulin Volcano National Monument

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Jim Melvin

Back in New Mexico…Yipeeee…….

After leaving Palo Dura I crossed the state line into New Mexico. I love New Mexico and am grateful to be back there. The weather has been getting cooler and it is also a dry climate. I drove to Clayton Lake State Park, just outside of Clayton, NM in the northeast corner where I found a somewhat level spot overlooking the lake. The campsites here leave a lot to be desired as not many of them are level. I guess it might have been better in the electric/water sites but I didn’t ever check them out because I didn’t see the need for paying the $4 per night since I have electricity and plenty of water. I was completely by myself, with no one else within sight. Here are a couple of pics of the campsite and the lake.

It can’t get much better then this folks…..

I fixed a real nice pork chop dinner with baked potato and green beans. After eating I found a great country radio station from Dalbart, TX. In case you’re interested it is 96.1 FM. They called themselves the “Texas Red Dirt Radio Show. GREAT MUSIC!! I kicked back listening to this great music, sipping on a glass of cabernet, plus some “Blue Bell” ice cream and watching another fantastic New Mexico sunset. CAN LIFE GET ANY BETTER THEN THIS!!!

I would like to have enjoyed kayaking on the lake but time was not on my side. I still wanted to venture into the mountains and enjoy the beautiful scenery there. So I was on my way early in the morning where my next stop will be Sugarite Canyon State Park.

Drove up a volcano…….Don’t blast off now…..

On the way to Sugarite there was a volcano I just had to see. It was Capulin Volcano National Monument so with my GEEZER card I saved the $5 it would have cost me to get in. NOT BAD!! They asked me the length of my motorhome and I told them 27 ½ feet. They said that anything over 27 feet had to be escorted up the volcano. I quickly fumbled and told them it was only 26 feet and they said I should be able to make it without an escort. It is about a 6% grade so this was a piece of cake compared to Palo Dura Canyon with a grade of 10%. So up the volcano I went. I did notice that there is no guard rail whatsoever and no place to pull over should you have a problem.

This is a view from the top looking down into the volcano. The last time it erupted was 56,000 years ago.

What a view….

It is a spectacular view. If you take the one mile hike around the perimeter of the volcano you can see four different states. I decided to not take the hike. My feet were a bit sore still from the Lighthouse Trail hike and I wanted to get on to the Sugarite Canyon campgrounds. I did go thru the Visitor’s Center and saw some interesting rock formations. I would highly recommend it to anyone traveling thru this area. It was well worth the stop.

Easy Jimbo…

I thought you might get a kick out of this pic taken while filling up with gas in Clayton, NM. I hardly had even enough room to pump the gas. LOL!!!

Now I am on my way to Sugarite Canyon State Park just below the Colorado/New Mexico border.

I apologize for the numerous posts uploaded yesterday and today. However, I have not had any Internet service for almost a week and would like to catch up.

caballo lake state park

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Jim Melvin

After Percha Dam I traveled about 7 miles to my next destination which was Caballo Lake State Park. I was almost out of propane so I stopped to get some. I pulled up to the propane tank at this general store and I heard this guy yelling from across the street “I’ll be right there”. I didn’t know if he was yelling at me since he was on horseback. Then he closes the gate and he rode his horse over to fill up my propane tank. With him were 2 goats as well. I didn’t have my camera handy in time to get the goats but I later to this pic of him near the filling station.

Be sure to click and then click again to enlarge all photos.

Once I arrived at the park I found a super good site, where I would get lots of sun on my solar panels. I got parked and all set up and then I had a couple of visitors that were trimming the lawn.

This pic was taken out my rear window. They seemed very tame but not sure. After talking with a lady who had been there previously she said that the horses come from the BLM land which is right across from the river. In the summer when they close the dam she said that cows come over as well. You’ve got to love New Mexico!

The 2^nd day here I took a hike along the river and got these pics.

I was able to catch a flock of sand hill cranes flying over right at susnset.

The following day was really windy. Didn’t get out much that day but did get in some good reading. Then on the next day I was able to do some mor hiking. This is a pic of one end of the lake and the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land in the background. There were a few campers on the BLM land. Next year I plan to explore the BLM areas in New Mexico. BLM land is owned by the Federal Government and anyone is allowed to camp on it. The only thing is that there are no facilities. You are out there on you own.