City of Rocks, New Mexico

Next stop was City of Rocks, New Mexico.  This is a wonderful camping spot that literally appears out of nowhere on an otherwise very flat landscape. Camping was free with my yearly New Mexico pass.

There are hookup spots here, but I didn't need electricity, so I was happy.
The sunrise and sunsets here were spectacular, but it was a bit windy.

My favorite camping spot.

I decided to give myself a haircut

You need a hat in the bright sunshine

This gives you an idea of the size of the rocks. See the picnic tables?

These folks had a great campsite with nesting owls above them

Wee hours of the morning

Gila Hot Springs and Cliff Dwellings

My next stop was the Gila Cliff Dwellings.

The lady at the Info desk had told me this was a 2 hour drive, but it wasn't.  It was slow going on very narrow, winding roads, and not for the faint of heart. However, it was a beautiful drive, and I much enjoyed it. 

On the way up, I passed by the Gila Hotsprings. I wanted to stay, but it was still pretty cold at night, around 17 degrees, so I decided to move on. It was a beautiful site, however. The owner has a goat farm that you drive through to get to the camping sites, which are right at the springs.  This would be a very sweet sweet stop in better weather.

You know you're getting near when you see this unusual outcrop from the road:

The tubs were VERY clean and beautiful:

Whimsical fountain 

Once at the Cliff Dwellings, I had free admission with my National Park Pass. 

You can find the history of the place online. Here is what the website states:  For thousands of years, groups of nomadic people used the caves of the Gila River as temporary shelter. In the late 1200's, people of the Mogollon Culture decided it would be a good place to call home. They built rooms, crafted pottery and raised children in the cliff dwellings for about twenty years. Then the Mogollon moved on, leaving the walls for us as a glimpse into the past.

The walk to the Cliff Dwellings was pretty easy, but if you aren't in shape, take walking sticks. I was told by another visitor that it was easiest to go UP by taking the trail to the RIGHT after crossing the bridge and traveling counter-clockwise. This was a good move.

Here are some photos. 

 

Silver City

In early March, I decided to buy the yearly pass for New Mexico and take a little trip.  My plan was to drive across southern New Mexico, then up to old Route 66, and back around on the northside of the state.

One of my first stops was Silver City. Silver City was established in 1870 as a Spanish settlement. It was then called La Ciénaga de San Vicente. In a mining area noted for silver, gold, copper, lead, and zinc, it was founded in 1876 as Silver City and became quite a boom town during the 1880's. 

I took a walk around the town and saw a lot of cool artwork. I'd like to come back here sometime and explore a bit more.

There was a paper in a window that I really liked.
It read:

Happiness

I asked professors who teach the meaning of life 

to tell me what is happiness.

And I went to famous executives who 

boss the work of thousands of men.

They all shook their heads and gave me a smile

as though I was trying to fool with them.

And then one Sunday afternoon

I wandered out along the Desplaines river

And I saw a crowd of Hungarians under the trees

with their women and children and a ket of beer

and an accordian.

~ Carl Sandburg 1876 -1909 

I blacktopped for the night at the visitor's center.

My van is VERY stealthy,

and nobody bothered me.

I really enjoyed seeing the Billy the Kid Homesite.
I think I could live quite happily in a little cabin like this one!

On the Road Again...

Well, I'm on the road again, at least for a few weeks.

I've spent the past 3 months caring for my elderly mother after she fell and broke her hip, her femur and 3 ribs. It's been exhausting, but healing. She and I have never been particularly close (she didn't rear me), and this has given us an opportunity to reconnect, so I'm grateful.  However, caring for an elderly person is difficult, and we both realized it was time for a much-needed break from each other.

I hired a housekeeper who would help her with her showers, signed her up for Meals on Wheels, gave the house key to 4 close neighbors, and hit the road!

I'm headed up to Portland, Oregon to visit my 3 sons and their families for the 4th of July. Then, if mom does ok, I'm hoping to meet up with a group of van-dwelling friends on the Oregon Coast for a week.

It was SO GOOD to be back in my little rolling home!

Yesterday I drove 8 hours, just to get out of the heat of the San Joaquin Valley.  The scenery was beautiful!  Here is a shot of Mt. Shasta from a rest stop along the way:

Last night I thought I'd sleep in the Walmart parking lot in Yreka, where they do allow overnighters. However, there was some type of race car activity going on and it was LOUD!  One nice thing about van dwelling is the option of putting the key in the ignition and driving away.  I headed up the hill to Rain Rock Casino, and ended up with a beautiful quiet night of sleep!

View from my van door:

The casino is fairly new and was quiet. If you stay there, you can register your license plate with security and they have a lot just for RVs and overnighters. But I simply and stealthily parked on the outer edge of the regular lot. It was wonderful!  Quiet, cool, and safe.  Inside, there are nice clean bathrooms and free pop and coffee.  The food reviews aren't great, but the place is new. I suspect it will get better as they get more experienced.  However, with Yreka 2 minutes away, a person can find Thai, Black Bear, and other restaurant options, or shop for groceries at Walmart. I eat Thai food each time I visit Yreka (a regular stop over the years) and it is VERY good, though a bit spendy.

Today I'll meet up with friends in Medford, then tomorrow head for Portland. I'm hoping to connect with Phyllis and Suanne and Nelda and Jerry and .... as many of my van-dwelling buddies as possible, along with my family, before having to head back down to California.

Stay tuned .  .  . and Happy Trails!
Annie

American Girl Mine

 I’ve had a great time camp the last few days at American girl mine. I made some new friends and met some old friends but my feet are getting itchy and it’s time to move on. I think tomorrow I’ll probably camp I do there’s a bola or continue on to Joshua Tree and spend a few days there. I understand the flower bloom there is beautiful. I will probably go to Anza Borrego after 2 March because a very good friend is visiting that weekend and I want to spend time with her.

Today I took a little walk out to the desert here. There are some tiny flowers blooming and the Ocatillo are ready to pop!