New Mexico to South Dakota

We left Rusty's and headed to some new territory for us. In all of our pre-retirement(and retirement) travels, we had never visited the southeastern part of the state of New Mexico, so a stop in Las Cruces was a real treat.  And what we discovered about Las Cruces will have us coming back. It is really neat. And growing.  Check out their website .......

We stayed at Sunny Acres RV Park in Las Cruces.....

A nice little RV Park

We spent 2 nights in Las Cruces, and then it was off to The Ranch, an Escapee member owned RV Park in Lakewood, NM. The trip from Las Cruces to Alamogordo took us through White Sands Test Range, White Sands Missile Range, past the Space X facility(I'm sure that is where that big rig was headed that we saw on the way to Rusty's). In Alamogordo, we got on RT 82 to travel over the mountains to Artesia, which is only 12 miles north of Lakewood. This was not to be. As  we got nearer to the "top" at over 8000' , we came upon a whole bunch of black smoke and did I forget to mention all the police cars passing us with sirens going and lights flashing? At the top was a tunnel. All traffic was stopped and told to turn around and go back. It seems a tractor trailer/tanker had lost it in the tunnel, the driver thrown from the vehicle and killed, with the tanker going off the side of the mountain. It was waaaaay down a ravine and burning- thus the black smoke. With a body still in the tunnel, they had the road closed. So we turned around(no small easy feat with our trailer) and went back to Alamogordo. Luckily we found an RV park convenient with an opening. So, we got to spend a night in Alamogordo. And spent all night saying how lucky we were that had we been an hour or two earlier, we might have been involved in that tunnel disaster.

Our home for the night in Alamogordo

Pistachio Tree Ranch

Right across the street from our RV Park was Pistachio Tree Ranch. The person at the desk when we checked in said it was a must visit and encouraged us to go by giving us a 10% off coupon. We went and found it really interesting. Not only did they advertise the worlds largest Pistachio(as seen above), have a large selection of locally grown and produced pistachios, they also had a winery. Truly a bonus. So, we used our coupon. One of the things we got there were Green Chile Pistachios. They are truly addictive. Definitely an interesting stop. And the next day we were off to Lakewood, although this time we took the long way around via Roswell.

Lakewood is just north of Carlsbad, NM and just south of Artesia, NM. Mary and I have been looking for a "place", not so much a brick and mortar home, but more a base from which we would travel out of. A place where we could store a lot of the "stuff" we have been hauling around with us. Everything we own, we have been carrying with us. Even the stuff we didn't use an awful lot, so finding a base was important to us, especially if something happened to one of us- having a place to bring the rig and for us to stay for an extended period of time became important. Our initial plan was Benson, AZ and the SKP Saguaro RV Park where we got on a waiting list for one of their available lots. Benson was where we started our full time rv'ing experience and it looked like it would be the place to call "home", however, friends Steve & Anna whom we met and worked with on staff at an Escapade in Tucson, AZ had told us about The Ranch in Lakewood and that we should consider stopping by and checking the place out. They have a lot there. That was our plan when we left Las Cruces. Both The Ranch and Saguaro are member owned Co-0ps and you get on a list to Buy a lifetime lease. We had been on the list at Saguaro for just over 3 years and had moved up enough to where we were In the running to get a place. But before we made a commitment there, we wanted to see The Ranch. And were we glad we did.

When we arrived at The Ranch, Anna was there at the office to greet us and ring the welcome bell. We got settled in to a spot, which The Ranch was nice enough to "give" us for $50 a week. Such a deal and then it was back to the office to see what lots they had available. Armed with a list, I did a walking tour of the park and did an exterior visual inspection. We had 4 to choose from. I was satisfied, went back to get Mary and Anna with keys so that we could inspect the interiors of the Casitas. And here is the one we settled on:

75 Quail Trail

Full cement pad to park our rig on

Once we decided on the place, Anna and the Co-Op officers, knowing that we were in a hurry to get the deal done, fast tracked everything and we had our "closing" 2 days later.

We really liked the place. The interior is basically 3 rooms and a screened in porch. The main room is perfect for Mary and her sewing. The room off to the left side from the front is like a work shop. I have my boat and fishing supplies stored there now.

The door opens up to a storage room(fabric) with shelving on both sides.

We are pretty pleased with it and are already looking forward to getting back here. It made some of the choices about our trip back east this summer easier. I off loaded a bunch of my fishing stuff, Mary sewing stuff, fabric, and personal stuff we've been lugging around with us for 3 years now. We also took the opportunity to leave the bikes and bike rack here too. Could not believe the weight we left here. Already have plans to paint the place. Mary decided on Cream with Turquoise trim. I think that will look just fine.

The people in the park were just great while we were there. Every day there was a Happy Hour in the Clubhouse, new arrivals were greeted, anyone leaving the park got a chorus of Happy Trails, announcements were made. Our neighbor to the left of us is an artist so he and Mary have painting in common, while the neighbor across the street(the one with the boat), is in to fishing, so he and I have something in common. I think we made a good choice.

The birds in this park are something else. We saw a number of interesting birds, especially one wandering around our yard gathering nesting material.....

Roadrunner

A Roadrunner.

And then we were on the road again. From Lakewood we headed north to Santa Fe, where we spent a week at Santa Fe Skies RV Park. Santa Fe has always been one of our favorites, and while there we visited some of our old places, like Randall Davey Audobon Center for some bird watching, La Chosa Restaurant, Back Road Pizza,  and a new one: The Pantry. The last few days there we were constantly tuned in to the weather as high winds were threatening. We actually extended our stay by a day to miss some high winds in Las Vegas and Raton Pass, where they were projected to be steady 20-30 with gusts to 50. The day we left for Pueblo, CO the winds were acceptable and the nearly 300 mile trip  without incident. One night in the Pueblo South KOA and then we were on the road for a trip through Denver to Cheyenne, WY for a nights stay. After a super meal at the Senator Steakhouse at Terry Bison RV Park and a good nights sleep, we were off for South Dakota. I elected to try a new route, this time staying on I25 for about 125 miles before heading east in to SD. Mistake. One I'll never make again. About 60 miles north of Cheyenne, we hit winds. And I mean winds. There were warnings about light, high profile vehicles getting off the road. We slowed down and at one point had to stop so Mary could get in the trailer. I have never experienced wind like that. I had to hold on to her to keep her from being blown away. Winds were a steady 30-40 mph with gusts over 60. And we were traveling with the winds hitting us broadside. We made it another 10 miles and then got off the interstate and started traveling east - with the winds at our back. We made it to Hart Ranch in Rapid City, SD. That was an accomplishment. This would be our home for the next 24 days. More to follow.