Start of the Canada Trip

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Good bye Baker City, OR hello Winchester, ID

We started our trip into Canada at Baker City, OR. We went through Hell’s Canyon on the Salmon River. What a site! Sorry but I don’t have any pics as my co-pilot (Chica) was too busy sleeping. It is a place I would love to return to some day.

One of two stops before crossing the border was Winchester Lake State Park. It is a beautiful spot and would be a great spot in the summer months where you could enjoy the lake. Day 1 – 268 total miles.

I got confused and went down a frontage road used by the park crew. There was no place to turn both my rig and the toad so it was the first spot I had to disconnect in order to turn my rig around. Fortunately I have got the process of connecting and disconnecting down so it didn’t take me long at all.

This is a pic of my campsite and a another of several LD’s in their sites.

Chica was cold

It was cold out so Chica wore her stylish leather coat. It helps to keep her warm and she does not object too much when I put it on her.

We took a walk down to the lake and Chica even went out on the dock. However she does not want to go near the water. I can’t really blame her as it was very cold.

Second Day – Farragut State Park, ID

Our second day we drove to Farragut State Park just south of Sandpointe, ID. This was a huge state park with lots of loops and campsites. Most of us were able to park in the same loop. Day 2 – 179 total miles.

Once I knew I was going on this trip I made reservations for the Idaho State Parks since we were going to be arriving there on Memorial Day weekend. It is a good thing as both parks were filling up. At Farragut State Park there were a lot of families pulling in with all the kids bikes and toys. Canada celebrates their Memorial Day at a different time so we did not have a problem with reservations at any of the Canadian parks.

I only got one pic of my campsite at Farragut.

Crossing into Canada

On Saturday we crossed into Canada. During our meeting at Baker City we had all discussed what we could and couldn’t bring across the border. I was a bit worried that I had too much wine since John, Linda and I had bought wine at all the wineries on the way to the rally. We were going to split up our wine with some others who were not carrying any, but decided at the last minute that we would just chance it.

The line at the border was very short. I was right behind John and Linda. I was asked if I had any liquor and I did tell her I had 4 bottles of wine. She did not even ask me about Chica (who was sound asleep on my lap), but I had her papers to show just in case. The crossing was very easy and took less the five minutes. The customs people were very friendly.

Just after crossing the border we decided to stop and take a break and let the dogs out. We were now in British Columbia.

I bought Chica a new coat at the Petco in Lewiston, ID. She really doesn’t like it since you have to put her legs through it, but I’m sure she will get used to it eventually.

Crowsnest Pass RV Park

After crossing we drove to Crowsnest Pass outside of Bellevue, Alberta. Most of the time we were in British Columbia until we hit the Alberta border. The Rocky Mountains up here are spectacular and there is no way to describe it. I will get many photos of it before we leave so our first priority was getting to our campsite as it was a very long day. Day 3 – 255 total miles.

The GPS had us driving through the center of Coleman which is right next to Bellevue. We finally found it and got settled in.

Happy Birthday Nikki!!

It just happened to be Nikki’s birthday so we celebrated with a cake and ice cream. It was the first time we all got together as a group on the road and it was a lot of fun.

That is Nikki in the middle cutting the cake.

We will be here at the Crowsnest Pass RV Park for two nights so we plan on seeing some of the sites and museums in the area. This area is know for coal mining and includes some natural as well as man-made disasters. It should be a fun day.

A beautiful day in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Snow flurries

Woke up this morning to more snow flurries. It did collect on the ground for a little while but then warmed up and melted. However it did snow most of the day.

I got my Wave 3 out of storage and fired it up and it is keeping the rig at just the right temperature. It didn’t take Chica long to figure out the warmest spot.

Short 4WD run

After it stopped snowing and things were starting to dry out I took a trip down to the Visitor’s Center. Nice views from there and really informative Rangers. By the way I forgot to mention that the mountains that I am backed up to are the Sangre De Cristo Mountains.

After looking around in the Visitor’s Center I decided to go for a ride. There is a 4WD road that heads up into the mountains although most of it is closed until later in the Spring. So off I went. Here is the spot where I turned around. A sign said to deflate tires to 20 lbs because of soft sand. Unfortunately I did not have my tire inflator with me so this was the end of the trail for me.

On my return trip I spotted some mule deer off the side of the road. I got out and took these pics. They did not seem to be bothered by me at all.

This one was only about 15 feet away when I took this shot.

I got this pic of the sunset last night. Really beautiful.

Great day…

Today I awoke to lots of sunshine. I just had to go for a hike my last full day here. I chose the Zapata Falls. They are a few miles outside of the park and about 4 miles up a washboard gravel road. This is a pic after driving about 1/2 up.

Zapata Falls

Once at the top there is a hike of 1/2 mile which isn’t too bad except there was an elevation gain of 400′. Up, up and away.

This was a pic of the mountains about 1/2 way up the trail.

Finally I reached the falls except there was no real falls at this time. The snowpack has not melted enough I guess. This is a pic of the river.

The falls would be coming down in this area. There was still snow and ice here.

Down the hill and back to camp

Then it was down the hill. What beautiful scenery!

Looks like it might rain…

This is a pic heading into the campsite about 5 miles from here. Looks like it may rain. Once I got back it sprinkled a bit, but that was it.

It was a great day!

South of Taos and no cell phone/Internet

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Free night at a winery…

I spent Sunday night camped at the Anasazi Fields Winery just north of Albuquerque. It is in the little sleepy town of Placitas, NM. The road into the winery is very narrow, but I made it.

Anasazi Winery is a member of the Harvest Hosts network of wineries, orchards, and farms throughout the country where you can stay free overnight. They usually have a designated area for us RVer’s with no hookups but Anasazi offered to let me hookup up to electricity which I declined since I have solar panels. All the places that I have stayed at have been extremely friendly. They don’t require that you purchase anything from them, but I usually buy a bottle of wine to stock my wine cabinet.

Then I was greeted by Terry and told where I can park. They had an overflow area that worked out good. After getting settled in I went to the tasting room where there were others also wine tasting.

The Anasazi Winery does not use grapes in the making of their wine. Instead they use fruits. Normally I do not care for fruit wines, as they are very sweet. However Terry explained that to his knowledge, the Anasazi Fields Winery is the only winery that makes their fruit wines dry. I liked several of them. The wine tasting was free and Terry explained each and every wine in detail.

Heading north…

My goal the next morning was to reach the Orilla Verde Recreation Area just 17 miles south of Taos, NM. Jim and Gayle of had told me about it while I was Rockhound State Park. They mentioned that there were a lot of hiking trails and beautiful scenery.

I stopped at the Pilar Campground and was greeted by the host Pat. He was a real friendly guy and told me a lot about the area. I found a nice electric/water site and signed up for three days. The electric/water sites were only $7.50 (half price) with my Geezer card.

The campground is located in a big canyon next to the Rio Grande River. The river is much larger then in the southern portion of the state because of all the snow runoff up here.

I had planned on doing some hiking while in this area, but the day after I arrived I came down with a very sore throat. I rarely feel ill and this had me stumped. My nose was constantly running and my throat felt horrible. I was not in any mood to get out on a trail. I will return to this area though as it is really nice.

One other thing that put a damper on my time here was the lack of cell phone and Internet services. I could not even get anything with my booster. What was weird was that my phone could send and receive messages intermittently. For example I would get an email, but it could not download the content only the subject line. I guess if I really had to get any type of important email I could tell the sender to write it all on the subject line. HA! Even that was very sporadic.

Here is a pic of the sunrise coming over the plateau.

Off to Taos

I am hoping I can find a reasonable campground closer to Taos so I can check out the town. By the way, I have finally gotten over the sore throat although there was one night I could not sleep due to it.

Potty training Chica…

There are times when little Chica makes a mistake inside the rig. I have tried everything including changing her feeding time. I take her outside several times during the day for walks, which she really enjoys. Sometimes she does her duties while walking and sometimes not. I always take her out late before I go to bed hoping that will take care of it. NOPE!!

I know this sounds gross but I sometimes wake up in the morning and she has had an accident. She sleeps on the couch on her bed under a cover. Then she will have an accident on the blanket at the other end of the couch. I scold her but it does not make any difference. It is really hard not to scold her very much as she has those sympathetic eyes.

Last night I left a small light on and she went potty on the mat I have put out for her in front of the toilet. She is smart enough to know that is where she should go potty. I think the problem is that she cannot see in the dark to get back on the couch. She has to use the first rung of the ladder to jump onto the couch. She is too small to jump up on the furniture, which is good. But without using that first rung she can’t get back into her bed. I don’t think she can see the step in the middle of the night so she just goes where it is convenient so she can go back to bed. Leaving the light on allowed her to see therefore she was able to get down and go on the pad.

I am going to try leaving her bed on the floor and see if that works. I don’t like to sleep with any lights on, but if it helps her I guess that is what I will have to get used to doing. I am wondering if Chihuahuas have a large enough bladder to go the entire night without having to pee. Does anyone else with a toy Chihuahua have a similar problem?

Love Trader Joe’s and the Apple Store

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Off to the Apple Store…

I entered the Apple Store on my Garmin and it said it was about 16 miles from the Enchanted Trails RV Park. I had scheduled my appointment online for 2:00pm. I got to the store at 1:00pm so I went to the Genius Bar hoping they could take me sooner. No such luck. They are very busy and told me to come back closer to the time I had scheduled.

The Apple Store is located in a very high class shopping area know as Uptown. Lots of very expensive stores. I did find a Starbuck’s and stopped in there for a coffee and “Very Berry” coffee cake. Then I just walked around until my appointment.

The Apple Store is really a very friendly environment. I walked to the back where they checked me in and then they found a seat where I could sit until they could wait on me. They had all my information regarding my speaker problem with the phone. Within a few minutes I was showing another guy my phone and he was writing all the information into an IPad. Stuff like what I had done to see if the speaker would work, etc.

He took my phone and said they would check it out in the back and replace the speaker if needed. He mentioned it could take about 25 minutes. Within 10 minutes he was back with my phone and demonstrated that the speaker now worked. GREAT!! I can now hear when someone is calling me. That is what a phone is for, isn’t it?

They were very professional and when I asked if there was any charge he said absolutely nothing.

Trader Joe’s in the same shopping center….

I walked out to my car and happened to notice a Trader Joe’s on the other side of the parking lot. I haven’t shopped at a Trader Joe’s for a long time and had to go.

I usually buy my groceries from a list that I create on my IPhone. Whenever I think of something I immediately write it down. I usually don’t buy anything else unless it is on the list. It usually keeps me from overspending.

However I only had a couple items on my list when I entered Trader Joe’s, but went ahead and shopped the entire store and bought my items that weren’t on my list. I love eating seafood and if you check out the seafood in Walmart it is rather bleak. Most times I usually buy any seafood from a good grocery store instead.

However, I did see some great seafood items at Trader Joe’s that I just had to have. That and a packet of sushi that I used to enjoy many years ago. I had the sushi for dinner that night. YUM! YUM!

I also bought my favorite Italian Roast coffee. I used to drink this coffee for many years before fulltiming.

Very windy…

The rest of the day was very uneventful. I was glad to get home after shopping as the wind was blowing very hard. New Mexico winds can get rather gusty at times.

Billy as in Billy Goat…

When Jim and I went 4 wheeling in Rockhound State Park he suggested a name for my Suzuki Samurai. He said it was just like a Billy goat since it could go just about anywhere. So Billy it is!

My Lazy Daze “The Breeze” as in the song by Lynyrd Skynyrd and Billy. That sounds cool. They make a great pair.

Will leave here on Saturday…

Saturday we will be heading north. I didn’t want to travel on Friday because Amazon will be calling for my interview. I missed the last time they called because my IPhone speaker wasn’t working and didn’t even here the call. So they rescheduled it and I really need to get it right today.

I am leaving in the morning and found a Harvest Host winery that I can stay at for the night just north of Albuquerque. Harvest Host offers many great places to stay like wineries, farms, and orchards and it doesn’t cost anything. These places are located in every state even Canada and Mexico. They don’t have hookups but with solar panels who cares anyway. Besides I need to try a different wine for a change.

My first 4 wheel drive adventure

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Hiking to a very cool canyon…

We all decided to go hiking in the desert. Jim and Gayle had picked out a great spot past Spring Canyon. So Jim, Gayle, Debbie and I all took off and headed out there. Unfortunately I forgot my camera so don’t have any pics of our hike. However, it was up and into a neat little canyon and very pretty back there with all kinds of neat rock formations.

After the hike Jim wanted to drive up a road to the cell towers on top of the mountain overlooking the Rockhound State Park. We got up quite a ways and met several ATV’s and a jeep coming down. At that point we decided to turn around and head back down. It was getting steeper and lots of loose gravel.

We then returned to our campsites. Then I got the bug to test out my Suzuki Samurai to see what it could really do. I invited Jim to go along and we headed back to that same road. I got just a bit further then we had previously and my tires started to spin out in the loose gravel. At that point I stopped and put it into 4WD. I had it in 4WD low and it went right up that steep gravel road like it was nothing.

The rocks in the road kept getting larger and the road in some spots became very steep. But my Sami went right up like there was nothing to it. We then arrived at the top with the towers.

What a view from the top…

The view up here was fantastic. However the wind was blowing like crazy and we had to take off our hats or we would have lost them. Here is a pic of the campgrounds below us.

Deming is way off in the distance.

Here is a great pic of the towers. They were huge!

We spotted another tower further up the mountain so naturally I just had to check that one out as well. On the way driving over to it I spotted what looked like a coyote skeleton.

Road was very rocky and steep as well

The road was very rocky and in some spots it was loose gravel and steep as well. But the Sami went up it like it was nothing. I had read many reviews on the Suzuki Samurai before purchasing it and they all said it can go anywhere. I am now very convinced of that. Plus it doesn’t take much effort to get to these spots. I am glad I had high ground clearance since many of the rocks in the road where very large. This is a pic at the second tower.

It was extremely windy up there. There was a work truck up there but the workmen had left.

Two towers was enough for today

Once we got up on top of the mountain we could see many different towers. We counted 5 different towers, but there could have been more. The views from up there were fabulous.

I am so glad I purchased the Samurai. It performed just like I thought it would and will be able to take me to places I never even imagined going.

The towers from my campsite…

I wanted to take a couple pics of the towers from my campsite just so you could see how high we got. This a pic of the first tower we climbed to.

And the second tower.

My life on the road now has really changed.

I knew once I got a vehicle that things would drastically change for me. For one thing I don’t have to unhook everything in a campsite just to go into a town or a store. Plus now I can go to those really out of the way spots I had always dreamed of seeing.

Rockhound State Park

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Met up with friends at Rockhound State Park

It was a bit windy from Silver City to Rockhound SP, but not too bad. When I arrived and after I settled in I was met by my good friends Jim and Gayle and Debbie. They had been here since Sunday. I was lucky to get a site directly across from them. We did a little catching up on what we had done and where we had been since last seeing each other. It sure is great meeting up with old friends.

I settled in to an electric/water site for $14 per night. I could have got this same site for $4 per night if I paid for the New Mexico Annual Pass for $225, but I decided that I probably would not be in New Mexico that much this year.

Hiking at Rockhound

Yesterday we all went for a short hike. I had slightly twisted my ankle while hiking at the Gila Cave Dwellings, but it did not give me any trouble.

Here is a pic of Gayle, Debbie and Jim on the trail to the Visitors Center.

Very windy…

The wind started blowing in the afternoon and it started getting stronger and stronger. You could see the dust clouds off in the distance in Deming. In the evening the dust clouds had reached us and this was a view out my window.

It was rock and roll the entire night, however we have a pleasant little breeze now and no more dust. This is a view of the sunset in the middle of all that dust. You would normally be able to see the lights of Deming, but not tonight.

Perfect weather now…

The wind stopped and it is now a perfect day although a bit chilly. Chica now feels more comfortable as she does not like it when the rig is rocking and rolling. We are planning on going into a brewery in Deming this evening for dinner. It should be fun. We had planned on going there last night but the weather man just did not want to cooperate.

I took this pic of our campsite with Deming in the background.The sky is perfectly blue with no clouds whatsoever.

Paid through Saturday…

I will probably leave here and head north to Elephant Butte State Park on Sunday. I wish I had longer to stay here but I do have to get my phone fixed as the speaker does not work at all. I can only tell if a person calls if it vibrates. BUMMER!!! Especially since I purchased it only a few months ago.

Trying to get caught up with the blogs I read…

I follow certain blogs which I love to read, but when you are in an area without Internet or cell phone service it makes it difficult. I am almost caught up with many of them. Oh well, the life of a fulltime RV’er can really be tough. HA!

Visit to Dentist and Optometrist

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Still at the Low-Hi RV Ranch…

I signed up for a couple more days here at the Low-Hi RV Ranch. Unfortunately I was in a site that had been reserved so I had to move. My neighbors both came out and asked if they had done anything wrong as I was moving across the street from them. I assured them that they were both good neighbors. I had hardly talked to either of them but it is nice that people consider you neighbors and look out for you.

I am not sure how long I will be here, but there are two reasons for staying. The first is that I am going to to dentist for teeth cleaning today and also to the eye doctor for new glasses. I will probably have to return to pick up my glasses on another day.

The second reason is two fold. One, it is impossible to get a reservation at Rockhound or City of Rocks State Parks until later in the month. They are both very full. The second reason is because the wind has been blowing very hard the last couple days. When the wind blows hard in Deming, you can just about double the velocity up at Rockhound. The wind yesterday was listed at 30 mph but it was gusting even harder. At Rockhound the gust could be up to 60-75 mph. The old rig just rocks and rolls all the time.

To Palomas, MX and back…

Yesterday I traveled 33 miles to Palomas, MX which is directly across the border from Columbus, NM. I started going there in 2010 for both dental work and eyeglasses. I had made an appointment for dental cleaning at 2:00pm. I got down there at 1:00pm so headed directly to the optometrist office. I was able to have an eye exam and they would have my glasses ready in a couple of hours. I decided to use the frames from my sunglasses as they fit me very comfortably.
Then it was off to the dentist office only 2 doors down from the optometrist. There I got my teeth cleaned. It was great that I could fit both into my schedule especially since I had not made an appointment with the optometrist.

Lunch at the Pink Store

After finishing up at the dentist, I checked back in with the optometrist to see if by chance my glasses were ready. They hadn’t arrived yet so it was off to the Pink Store which is both a souvenir shop and restaurant combined. I had a super lunch of chile rellanos, beans, rice and tortillas. Naturally I had to have a couple of margaritas as well. For dessert I had flan which was great.

I then browsed around the Pink Store for a while looking at all the great things they have there. I did buy a nice soup/serving bowl which will really come in handy.

Mexican people

You hear lots of horror stories about traveling in Mexico especially at the border towns. All the gruesome stories are enough to scare anyone away. Like I said I have been going to Palomas since 2010 and have never seen anything even remotely close to the stories I have heard. In fact, it has been the complete opposite for me.

I go to Dr Karla of American Dental Care since 2010. She usually just cleans my teeth, but I have also gotten a crown from her as well. Her prices are very reasonable and her office is very professional. Their equipment is just the same as you would see in any American dental office. She is so gracious. This past visit when I finished my cleaning and was paying for it she brought out her baby Kariel (I hope I have the name right) for me to see. She was such a proud mother and wanted to show off her cute baby. She was a pudgy little doll. Going to Dr. Karla’s dental office and Dr. Garcia’s optometrist offices is like seeing old friends. They are really wonderful people.

When I returned to pick up my eyeglasses I pulled out my Visa card and was surprised that they only take cash or checks. On the other hand Dr. Karla’s office only accepted Visa cards and do not take checks. I only had a few dollars in my wallet since I do not generally carry much cash. But since I am a repeat customer they were willing to give me the glasses with the understanding that I would send them a check. How many American companies do you know that would go out on a limb like that? I agreed and she told me where to send the check and I was able to leave with the glasses. It saved me having to drive 66 miles down and back to make the payment. I put the check in the mail this morning.

Silver City then Rockhound State Park

Today I am headed over to Silver City for a few days. I have never been there and always wanted to see it. After that I will be headed back to the Deming area and stay at Rockhound State Park to meet up with some friends. I will take lots of pics while in Silver City.