City of Rocks (NM) - pics - very cool campground

White Sands NM (NM) pics - looks like snow!!

My new Southwest style hat!

Looks just like snow - they even plow the road and parking areas! 

Aquirre Springs Nat'l Red Area (NM) - pics

White Sands National Monument and City of Rocks SP

Left Aquirre Springs beautiful campsite and drove to the White Sands.  This place is a series of whiter than white sand dunes in the middle of the desert.  Not as impressive as Jockeys Ridge in NC but as they are no where near water they hold some interest.  Pictures to follow.
We had a recommendation for Mexican food at a taco shack in Deming and had a great lunch.  Since we haven't really dined out it was a treat.
Rolled into City of Rocks SP right out side of Silver City, NM.  Most unusual place.  We camped at a really cool site enclosed within the rocks.  It even came with a resident Great Horned Owl. 

Wednesday April 26 Aquirre Springs National Recreation Area

Got a late start out of ElPaso and ended up at Aquirre Springs NRA.  Thanks Steve and Cheryl for a great recommendation  We continue to fight the winds here, better than the tornados through the middle of the country though.  We could not put up the Aliner until evening the winds were steady at 30 mph with gusts to 50.  Mostly the winds die down at night and then build throughout the day.  We woke up to a beautiful view of the valley below and the White Sands area.  We are off to see White Sands and will then head into northern NM in hopes of less wind.

I am sorry about the blog comments but I haven't a clue how to fix them.  I am also unable to reply when people ask questions.  Maryanne asked about rattlesnakes and Kathy D about wildlife.  Carole has the rattlesnake story and she'll have to tell it but she may need alcohol.  We haven't seen a lot of wildlife, some big horn sheep, deer, a raccoon who joined us for dinner and some jack rabbits.  As we leave the desert area I think we'll see more.  

Trouble responding to comments

I am also having trouble responding to comments on the blog. Who knows why. Kathy D you asked about weather sunny but wildly windy. Also I can't get those old cowboy tv shows out of my head. Seeing Indians over every hill expecting Rusty RinTinTin and Calvary to come into view soon.

Palo Duro State Park - Near Amarillo TX

Guadalupe Mountains National Park- holding on for dear life in the wind!

Vermillion Flycatcher at Rattlesnake Canyon - great photos by Kathy

Carlsbad Cavern National Park - hiking out of the cave...

Tuesday April 26 El Paso Tx

Checked into a motel last night after nine days camping.  Not because we were tired of camping but we got into El Paso and the air quality was awful.  The winds here have been a steady 25 mph with gusts to 40.  The dust in the air is visible here.  Will check the weather this am and head somewhere less windy!

We went from Amarillo to just outside of Carlsbad NM. Yesterday we went into the national park. Usually there is an elevator that will take people to the floor of the cave which is 1.5 miles below the surface but their elevators (4 of them) are broken and have been broken for two months.  Happy national parks centennial! We watchEd numerous people who turned away including a vet with an artificial limb.  Shame on you NPS.  The cave is the only attraction here.  We walked about .half way down but our knees and my claustrophobia did us in.  Nonetheless it was the biggest cave I was ever in.  

Went on to Gaudalaupe Mounain NP where we had intended to camp but wind advisories were up for 50-60 mph gusts so that won't work .  We camped in sustained 25 mph winds the previous two nights.  That's enough for me!  We did a small hike at the NP and then onto El Paso and the comforts of a nice motel.  Pictures as always will come with Carole's posts
A couple of folks have told me they can't comment on the blog.  I'm not sure what to tell you as I am at the limits of my tech ability. When I started blogging 10 years ago it was pretty straightforward (and I was ten years younger) but when I put together this blog it was much more complicated so I am sure I've done something wrong that is locking out some of you out. I've tried but can't seem to find it.  Kathy

Amarillo- the windy city

I took this picture while hiding inside the Aliner last evening.
It may look calm - but the winds were fierce and I felt like Aliner might get airborne!
We re-attached the Aliner to the car just in case :)

Amarillo photos

Amarillo- a fun little town- but I think we saw it all in our 1/2 day here!

Route 66:

Cadillac Ranch:
What a HOOT!! Just off the interstate, a short walk across the dirt field and you find this:

Feel free to spray paint your own design!

Then off to play cowboy, and eat more food than any human should at the Big Texan Ranch Steak House while being serenaded:

I can't believe I ate the whole thing:

Amarillo Texas

We had a nice drive thru the Red River Valley (no sign of that singin' cowboy Gene Autry) and on part of the Chisolm trail.  Very picturesque.  Arrived in Amiriilo and enjoyed the afternoon here.  Went to Cadillac Ranch where twelve Cadillacs are half buried in a field.  People come with cans of spray paint to paint them. Strange, pictures to follow.  drove part of the historic section of Route 66 and had dinner at The Big Texan.  The deal there is if you can eat a 72 ounce steak and all of the accompaniments in under an hour your meal is free, if not you pay.  People sit up on an elevated table with a timer over their head and try to gorge this food.  The fellow we saw was unsuccessful and looked green and ready to be sick.  we enjoyed our meal serenaded by singing cowboys.  Hokey but fun.

Random photos

[Carole]
We just arrived in Amarillo, TX. First time we have had WIFI access (everything else we do is burning through our data plan at an incredible rate!!! YIKES)

So finally have a chance to post just a few photos.

Kathy- working on the blog at Lake Catherine SP, AR (4/21)

View from the top of Hot Springs Mountain road. (4/21)

The Promenade Trail

Filling up on some of mineral water (for its healing properties!!)

Hi Greg!!

Thanks to Greg Doneker for checking on us last evening. So glad that someone is following our travels online :)

Did you figure out where Oklahoma is?  If not, check out the map to see our progress so far.

Here is a photo of our view from the campsite after sunset. We are in Central time zone here - so this was not too long after we spoke.

We are getting our kicks on Route 66

If you are hanging on our every word, (probably no one since no comments) you can be notified by email of a new blog post by adding your email to the box right underneath the map on the web version of this site.
Arrived today in Amarillo, off to see the attractions.  Yeah ha!

Hot Springs NP

A non driving day to spend in the NP.  Hot Springs is a sorry excuse for a NP.  It is the smallest park in the system and consists of a row of 19th century bath houses and one trail!  We toured around and saw what there was to see and generally had an R&R day.
On Friday morning we left to head toward New Mexico.  Drove about 300 miles thru Arkansas and Oklahoma .  We drove secondary roads and it was much better than the interstates which have been nightmarish with trucks.  camping at a nice state park in Waurika Ok.  Off tho NM today

Day 6 Little Rock

Drove into Little Rock this morning and visited the Clinton Presidential Library.  My bucket list includes as many presidential libraries as possible.  I don't think Carole will tolerate too many but this was a good one.  It was a stormy day here so it was good to get there.  We had a fine lunch in a mock presidential dining room and then toured the library.  I am continually impressed at how audio visual and multi media techniques make history come alive.  The Clinton library had plenty of them.

We drove from Little Rock to Hot Springs NP.  I always look forward to NPs as first class experiences.  We drove into this campground and left immediately - almost on the road with lots of traffic and campsites on top of one another.  We drove slightly farther to a great Arkansas state park - Lake Catherine.  We've a site right on the lake.  Very nice.  We are off to see what the NP has to offer today.

Nashville, TN- Music day 2

[Carole] We had so much fun the first day- we went back again!!
Today we stopped in Legends, Layla's and back to Roberts. Again - Roberts had the most authentic music (today it was Western Swing),  but the musicians and singers in all of them are top notch. (Doug- you would love it here!!)

(One final comment: as good as the music was - the food was essentially nonexistent! Both nights we missed dinner because we did not want to leave the bars and the only food they served was fried cheese!)

Nashville, TN- continued

[Carole] Next we headed to Robert's (Thanks to Carol R for the passing along the recommendations). This was  our favorite by far.


When we arrived the next band was just setting up, and it did not look promising (shaggy haired Elvis lookalike and a tired looking cowboy, plus a drummer)....but boy were they terrific! The drummer is fairly well known - Jimmy Lester.

We were so sorry we had to leave after only a 1/2 dozen songs (our parking meter was about to run out and we had a 40 minute drive back to our campsite!)

Nashville, TN - Tootsie's

[Carole]   I have never been Nashville so had no expectations. Upon first arrival downtown, I thought it looked hokey and touristy (which is is) but turned out to be a great place to visit.

After we took a loop around the city tour- we decided to check out some of the live music- which is essentially every single bar, pub, restaurant on the strip - from 10 am till 3am!!!

We started out in the true tourist trap: Tootsies - where the band played to the crowd and got everyone into the spirit - singing along, shouting an dancing. The joint was  jam packed but everyone was having great time.

Day 5 Crossing the Mississippi!

At Belle Meade Plantation, TN

Up and on the road.  The Tennessee state parks were just great,recommend them.  Before we left Nashville we visited the Belle Meade Plantation.  It was more of a horse farm than a traditional plantation.  Nonetheless it is a federal mansion built in the early 19th century with beautiful grounds ,  We had a guided tour which is always an improvement over wandering around on your own.  The guide was knowledgeable.  It is interesting to watch southerners speak of their history and account for the slave owning years.  This guide was very good, she faced the issue head on and spoke truthfully about the atrocities of the slave owners.  She also gave a certain dignity to the enslaved people in how she spoke of them.  I was impressed.
Following that it was on the road again, we reluctantly passed by Memphis (and Graceland!!) to get into Arkansas and a beautiful state park - Village Creek SP.  Almost alone in the campgrounds, it's great to travel off season.

Day 4 Music City!

Had a great day in Nashville.  Spent the morning at The Hermitage, the Andrew Jackson estate.  It is a home that was built in the 1820s and furnished and restored to represent that time period.  Very well done.  We enjoyed it.  We then went into Nashville and had ribs at BB Kings place.  Then toured  the Country Music Hall of Fame.  I'm not a huge country music fan but this was very entertaining.  We even cut a record.  Then toured the Ryman Auditorium home of the Grand Ole Opry also an interesting multimedia presentation.  Carole will write a post about the music scene in Nashville which was wild!  In summary Nashville was never on my bucket list but it was tons of fun.  Highly recommended!

Sunday April 17 220 miles to almost Nashville

Free breakfast

Left Eastern TN bright and early after a free pancake breakfast at the Ballyton campground.  Nice campground a mile or so off the interstate - friendly people and most importantly clean restrooms!
Drove within 25 miles of Nashville and are now camping in Cedars of Lebanon SP.  Second night in a row in a pull thru site.  Good news as neither of us has yet figured out how to reliably back in the Aliner.
Got into Nashville about 4pm and took a quick city tour.  This is really a happening place.  Lots of people in town.  Live music everywhere.  Spent a couple of hours in Tootsie’s and then Robert’s Country Bar.  Lots of fun.  We’ll go back tomorrow to see more of the Music City.