Left Cortez this morning around 7:30 am, looking for breakfast. Took US 491 northwest toward Montecello, UT, then turned north on US 191 to Moab, where I finally found a Denny's and had a late breakfast around 10:am. Nice drive; lots of trees and lots of hills. The rig was really working on those hills.
Arrived Grand Junction around noon. Stopped and registered and checked the rig in and went to see Dad, who was fighting dizziness. We talked for several hours, sitting out in Buz/Sunny's back yard; the weather was perfect today. Dad gradually felt well enough to go pick up his prescriptions and a few other things he needed, so the dogs and I ran him to the store. The dogs got to run loose in Buz's back yard and enjoyed that for several hours. I finally left Dad around 6:30pm; it had been a long day and I was tired.
Grand Junction, CO Elev. 4789
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Cortez, Colorado
Had lunch with Deb Sunday afternoon and went back to Madrid to exchange a piece of jewelry, then said goodbye and went back to VanGo to get ready to leave. Did a few last minute things and secured everything I could.
We left Albuquerque this morning at around 8:30 and reached Cortez around 2:pm. After we mounted that last hill on Albuquerque's west mesa (where all the old microwave towers are), we had seen our last glimpse of my favorite city. It was a good visit and I was sad to go.
The western New Mexico landscape is some of the most desolate I've ever seen, excluding perhaps Saudi Arabia. There are some pretty red-colored mesas and I passed nearby Shiprock, which I had only seen in pictures. Quite impressive, and larger than I thought.
The countryside seemed to green the minute we left NM and entered Colorado. Cortez seems to be a nice little town; very quiet, and the park I'm in is practically in the middle of town. The weather's quite mild: around 70 degrees F.
We have no plans to do anything; we're only going to be here overnight, and I don't want to unhook the car. We'll leave tomorrow morning, go west and north through Utah to catch Interstate 70, which will take us to Grand Junction.
Cortez, CO Elev: 6201'
We left Albuquerque this morning at around 8:30 and reached Cortez around 2:pm. After we mounted that last hill on Albuquerque's west mesa (where all the old microwave towers are), we had seen our last glimpse of my favorite city. It was a good visit and I was sad to go.
The western New Mexico landscape is some of the most desolate I've ever seen, excluding perhaps Saudi Arabia. There are some pretty red-colored mesas and I passed nearby Shiprock, which I had only seen in pictures. Quite impressive, and larger than I thought.
The countryside seemed to green the minute we left NM and entered Colorado. Cortez seems to be a nice little town; very quiet, and the park I'm in is practically in the middle of town. The weather's quite mild: around 70 degrees F.
We have no plans to do anything; we're only going to be here overnight, and I don't want to unhook the car. We'll leave tomorrow morning, go west and north through Utah to catch Interstate 70, which will take us to Grand Junction.
Cortez, CO Elev: 6201'
Monday, April 21, 2008
A Little Family Time
On Saturday, Apr 19 I drove down to Los Lunas to visit Marc, Elaine and the kids. Maria, who just turned 13, seems to have grown the most since the last time I saw her a year ago. She reminds me very much of what Elaine must have looked like at that age: long, tall, and lanky. Aaron's taller too, as is Jake. Jake seems to be the family entertainer. Never a dull moment in his house, I'll bet, and his folks say the same is true at school. Maria's in 7th grade, Aaron in 4th, and Jake's in kindergarten.
We went to a Mexican food place in Peralta for lunch. I visited with them for about two hours and I am kicking myself for having forgotten my camera.
Sunday, Deb and I went to a very good Mexican food place in Corrales called Garduno's and had the absolute best brunch I've ever had. Eggs, sausage, bacon, pancakes, waffles, omelets, chicken enchiladas, sopaipillas, fajitas, fresh fruit, cereals, danish and cinnamon rolls, and then desserts. I was proud that neither of us overate. It was very, very good.
We had planned to go to Old Town to see some kind of festival going on there, but Deb mentioned Madrid and I was interested in going there. I love Madrid; it started out as a coal mining town but went bust in the late 1800's and had been a ghost town until people started moving in around the late 1960's. It's a very "hippie" town; Abbie Hoffman, while he was on the run, wrote articles and sent them to various liberal magazines and newspapers, and one of his best was an article called "Too High to Die", about the Madrid residents. One of the local businesswomen told us Madrid has no potable water; the water supply was permanently ruined by the mining. She said folks who live there have water trucked into town from Albuquerque. The water is safe for laundering but tastes, smells and looks bad, and is "fizzy" (trying to think of the word - is it effervescent?). Only one road runs through Madrid, and the residents live right on that narrow road, or in the hillsides surrounding the town. If you're headed toward Sandia Crest from Albuquerque, just keep going straight instead of turning up to the Crest. You'll eventually get to Santa Fe and you can't avoid Madrid. Drive slow: lots of foot traffic in that road, the vast majority of whom are tourists. The rest are local hippies.
The place is pretty well commercialized now, but in a very charming, attractive, rustic way. I bought two of the prettiest pieces of Indian jewely and a rug from Oaxaca at a couple of the shops there.
We stopped at the sole bar in town , the Mine Shaft (that won't last long! - although, now that I think about it, it was the only bar there fifteen years ago when Marc and one of his motocycle buddies took me for a ride from Albuq. to Madrid), and enjoyed a slow beer, then left for home after spending about six hours just strolling through the town and visiting the shops. A good day....
Driving back to Albuquerque, we spotted what we first thought were heavy clouds, but then realized it was smoke from the fires in the Manzano mountains. We hadn't noticed them on the way to Madrid because we were facing away from them. I heard later in the evening on the news that several families have had to be evacuated from the area.
Today was clothes laundry day, and tomorrow will be rug cleaning day; it's time to get the rig ready to head for another destination. I leave next Monday, Apr. 28 and will stay the night in Cortez, Colo., that night, then head into Grand Junction the 29th. I washed the car today: god! what a job, and it's a small car! It was pretty filthy; I had driven to Los Lunas on Saturday with my windshield almost completely obscured by filth: elm pitch and dust from our recent sandstorms. I've got to take VanGo to the RV shop that installed my satellite antenna and make sure it's working right; I was never able to because the day the work was done was a cloudy day and we couldn't get a signal. I'd really like to wash the rig, too, but....god, if I think Oor's a pain to wash, what's VanGo gonna be like? I can't reach high enough and sure as heck am not getting on top of the rig to do the roof, but it sure needs it. What I need is a 6'5" teenager who works cheap.
We went to a Mexican food place in Peralta for lunch. I visited with them for about two hours and I am kicking myself for having forgotten my camera.
Sunday, Deb and I went to a very good Mexican food place in Corrales called Garduno's and had the absolute best brunch I've ever had. Eggs, sausage, bacon, pancakes, waffles, omelets, chicken enchiladas, sopaipillas, fajitas, fresh fruit, cereals, danish and cinnamon rolls, and then desserts. I was proud that neither of us overate. It was very, very good.
We had planned to go to Old Town to see some kind of festival going on there, but Deb mentioned Madrid and I was interested in going there. I love Madrid; it started out as a coal mining town but went bust in the late 1800's and had been a ghost town until people started moving in around the late 1960's. It's a very "hippie" town; Abbie Hoffman, while he was on the run, wrote articles and sent them to various liberal magazines and newspapers, and one of his best was an article called "Too High to Die", about the Madrid residents. One of the local businesswomen told us Madrid has no potable water; the water supply was permanently ruined by the mining. She said folks who live there have water trucked into town from Albuquerque. The water is safe for laundering but tastes, smells and looks bad, and is "fizzy" (trying to think of the word - is it effervescent?). Only one road runs through Madrid, and the residents live right on that narrow road, or in the hillsides surrounding the town. If you're headed toward Sandia Crest from Albuquerque, just keep going straight instead of turning up to the Crest. You'll eventually get to Santa Fe and you can't avoid Madrid. Drive slow: lots of foot traffic in that road, the vast majority of whom are tourists. The rest are local hippies.
The place is pretty well commercialized now, but in a very charming, attractive, rustic way. I bought two of the prettiest pieces of Indian jewely and a rug from Oaxaca at a couple of the shops there.
We stopped at the sole bar in town , the Mine Shaft (that won't last long! - although, now that I think about it, it was the only bar there fifteen years ago when Marc and one of his motocycle buddies took me for a ride from Albuq. to Madrid), and enjoyed a slow beer, then left for home after spending about six hours just strolling through the town and visiting the shops. A good day....
Driving back to Albuquerque, we spotted what we first thought were heavy clouds, but then realized it was smoke from the fires in the Manzano mountains. We hadn't noticed them on the way to Madrid because we were facing away from them. I heard later in the evening on the news that several families have had to be evacuated from the area.
Today was clothes laundry day, and tomorrow will be rug cleaning day; it's time to get the rig ready to head for another destination. I leave next Monday, Apr. 28 and will stay the night in Cortez, Colo., that night, then head into Grand Junction the 29th. I washed the car today: god! what a job, and it's a small car! It was pretty filthy; I had driven to Los Lunas on Saturday with my windshield almost completely obscured by filth: elm pitch and dust from our recent sandstorms. I've got to take VanGo to the RV shop that installed my satellite antenna and make sure it's working right; I was never able to because the day the work was done was a cloudy day and we couldn't get a signal. I'd really like to wash the rig, too, but....god, if I think Oor's a pain to wash, what's VanGo gonna be like? I can't reach high enough and sure as heck am not getting on top of the rig to do the roof, but it sure needs it. What I need is a 6'5" teenager who works cheap.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Another Week
Last Saturday (04/12), Deb took me to Albuquerque's best casino. I'd never been to a casino, and I've always been curious. It took about $60 worth of curiousity to determine that gambling's not for me. We stayed just a couple of hours and had a beer each while we played quarter, dime or penny slot machines, then left in disgust. We wandered around the north valley area looking for the old Robin Hood Inn, where Jerry and I met, but I think the placed must have been razed because we couldn't find it. The north valley, especially the Guadalupe Trail and Rio Grande Blvd. in Corrales has become the haven of the wealthy. There are some huge, beautiful houses there, most of them in southwestern architecture. There's still a little farming there, and horses and other livestock are allowed in the area.
We came close to going to Old Town, but I was just there a year ago and didn't see the attraction. We drove on to the University area (much changed; remember Galles Oldsmobile on Central? UNM bought 'em out; the university area's huge now) and stopped to peek in the shops at Nob Hill, always one of my favorite parts of Albuquerque. I found an art paper shop and picked up some card-making supplies. We stopped at a dessert shop and had some of their wares; delicious! The shop must be doing very well: it was pretty crowded.
Sunday, we fooled around all day, not doing much. We had both been in the mood for a steak so went to a Texas Steak House, or something like that, which I won't recommend. They tried, twice, to pass off a ribeye for a filet mignon and I ended up getting them both free after pointing out their error. The dogs loved it.
The start of this week has been spent doing a few small chores, making some cards and trying to figure out how to entertain Marc, Elaine and the kids this Saturday. Temperatures here are very mild and the humidity is non-existant, but the wind is kicking up and we're in for a cold spell starting tonight. It's been blowing for a couple days now, and I noticed this afternoon that most street curbs are about three inches deep in elm tree seeds. It's around 7:PM now and already the temp's dropped about 20 degrees. Tomorrow's high is predicted in the 50's, so I feel another "stay-in-and-keep-warm" day coming on.
I must admit that if it weren't for the fact that I haven't yet gotten to see Elaine and the kids, I'm ready to move on to Grand Junction. I understand that area's still suffering some pretty cold weather and even an occasional snow, so I'll stick around here 'til April 28.
Just glanced out the back bedroom window; yep: the clouds are moving in from the north.
Later,
We came close to going to Old Town, but I was just there a year ago and didn't see the attraction. We drove on to the University area (much changed; remember Galles Oldsmobile on Central? UNM bought 'em out; the university area's huge now) and stopped to peek in the shops at Nob Hill, always one of my favorite parts of Albuquerque. I found an art paper shop and picked up some card-making supplies. We stopped at a dessert shop and had some of their wares; delicious! The shop must be doing very well: it was pretty crowded.
Sunday, we fooled around all day, not doing much. We had both been in the mood for a steak so went to a Texas Steak House, or something like that, which I won't recommend. They tried, twice, to pass off a ribeye for a filet mignon and I ended up getting them both free after pointing out their error. The dogs loved it.
The start of this week has been spent doing a few small chores, making some cards and trying to figure out how to entertain Marc, Elaine and the kids this Saturday. Temperatures here are very mild and the humidity is non-existant, but the wind is kicking up and we're in for a cold spell starting tonight. It's been blowing for a couple days now, and I noticed this afternoon that most street curbs are about three inches deep in elm tree seeds. It's around 7:PM now and already the temp's dropped about 20 degrees. Tomorrow's high is predicted in the 50's, so I feel another "stay-in-and-keep-warm" day coming on.
I must admit that if it weren't for the fact that I haven't yet gotten to see Elaine and the kids, I'm ready to move on to Grand Junction. I understand that area's still suffering some pretty cold weather and even an occasional snow, so I'll stick around here 'til April 28.
Just glanced out the back bedroom window; yep: the clouds are moving in from the north.
Later,
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Snow!
Looked out the window this morning to discover that last night's rain froze on the west side of the Sandias; they're covered with snow! Today's high is predicted at 61 degrees F., but with the wind-chill/feels-like, it's only 34. And the motorhome is rockin' in the wind! Brrrrr!
Looks like today's a "stay-in-and-keep-warm" day. I've got the space heater going, and have turned on the furnace for the first time since February.
Update, just two hours later: It's snowing! I was taking the dogs out for their necessary pee/walk when it began. I was elated and the dogs were mystified. They couldn't quite figure out what the heck was going on. But they were sure glad to get back in the rig!
I tried to get a quick photo, but the snow melted just about as soon as it fell. Sure was pretty, tho'.
Looks like today's a "stay-in-and-keep-warm" day. I've got the space heater going, and have turned on the furnace for the first time since February.
Update, just two hours later: It's snowing! I was taking the dogs out for their necessary pee/walk when it began. I was elated and the dogs were mystified. They couldn't quite figure out what the heck was going on. But they were sure glad to get back in the rig!
I tried to get a quick photo, but the snow melted just about as soon as it fell. Sure was pretty, tho'.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
News for the Week
Started the week doing things that needed doing, then had lunch with Marc on Wednesday; he looks well and healthy. We're going to try to get together (with kids and Elaine) some time next week; little (?!) Maria turns 13 today and is having a slumber party this weekend, so we'll do something the weekend after that.
Didn't get to see Deb 'til Thursday night after her respite care job; we had dinner at a nearby Chili's and laughed 'til our stomachs ached. Friday night, we had a sort of picnic supper at her house and did a little more laughing. It never ceases to amaze me that we can spend five years and not make a single phone call or write a note, and still pick up like we just talked yesterday.
Saturday we took the dogs to Petroglyphs National Monument, just west of Albuquerque. When I was a kid, the old inactive volcanoes there were nothing special; just a backdrop for the mesa. There was a college there...St Joseph's, I believe, and I think it's still there. The difference is that since my youth, (1) the volcanoes were discovered to hold historical significance in that there are ancient drawings on the volcanic rocks, and (2) the whole area is now surrounded by housing developments. You can see the houses all the way from the base of the Sandia mountains: what used to be just mesas and dunes are now thousands and thousands of houses, both north and south of Coors. Deb led me from there north on Old Coors Road (which I thought never went any further north than West Central Avenue) all the way past Corrales almost to Bernalillo (which is also heavily developed). Rio Rancho and Paradise Hills are now accompanied by something called "Taylor Ranch" and a huge shopping mall, larger than the old Coronado Shopping Center and decrepit old Winrock in the NE heights.
We hiked the Petroglyphs. About thirty minutes was all I could take; it was hilly and the sand was loose so it was quite a trudge. The dogs loved it, and Deb's fit as a fiddle, so....
That evening we went our separate ways, if for no other reason than to get a decent night's rest, all to start up again in the morning...
...which, for Deb, means "noon". We finally got rolling and went to a very large flea market in what is, in September every year, the New Mexico State Fair Grounds. I prefer a flea market that has more antique and craft items, but this one was just one huge, disorganized yard sale. We both found some lovely baskets, native American-designed, but I'm not real sure they were actually produced by native Americans. After a good long walkaround, we went to our respective "homes", me to walk the dogs, who'd been pent up all day in the RV, and Deb to get ready for work the next day.
Monday was a day of rest/laundry, and Tuesday I took the dogs in for their quarterly shampoo/nail clip. They spent over half the day there, so I used their absence as an opportunity to wash all the rugs, vacuum, wash some screens and windows, dust and simonize the dashboard of both VanGo and Oor, clean the bathroom, and get rid of too much "schtuff" in my closets. All this nice, clean space makes me appreciate the rig more. I also managed to get an oil change and new wiper blades on Oor, so I had a good, productive day and wound up with a clean, sweet-smelling house and two dogs in the same condition.
Today (Wed., 4/9) I took VanGo to Myers RV here in Albuquerque and had a satellite antenna installed on the roof. The latest technology, it stands not even as high as the air conditioner up there, and its aim is automatic. I was tired to death of not being able to aim the satellite dish DirecTV had given me, and this will make tv watching better and rig resale easier. While we were without our little abode, the dogs and I took off in the car to try to find something to do.
First off, I needed a new bulb for my right turn signal; it had gone out the day before without my notice. I pulled into Pep Boys on San Mateo and Central, where they had done the oil/wiper change the day before; they were out of my particular bulb. I headed down to Lomas to Quality GMC to see if they had the bulb; nope. (Reminder to self: Don't forget to change the oil drip pan plug on Oor next time you get an oil change.) I gave up, and decided to head downtown just to see what's up.
By the time I reached downtown, I had decided to head for the south valley. I turned south on 4th Street, intending to catch Bridge Street and cross the river there. The City Fathers have redecorated the downtown area to an unrecognizable degree. Fourth Street has been blocked to make a sort of arcade or something from Marquette to Central, so I had to do some fancy backtracking and zigzagging to get to the intersection of Fourth and Central. Finally got there, to find the sole recognizable building in the downtown area: the Simms Building. The parking garage across the street is still there, but I don't think that's where people catch the city (county?) bus any more. I saw no signs nor people there.
Anyway, I kept heading south on Fourth Street, looking for Bridge Street, where I would turn right and go over the bridge. I found the semi-major intersection of Fourth and Cesar Chavez and as I glimpsed to my right, sure enough, I saw the bridge. They had changed Bridge Steet's name.
We crossed the bridge and turned left onto Isleta Blvd. It now takes much less time to go from the head of Isleta Blvd. down to Gun Club Road than it did forty years ago, I swear. It is much changed. I turned on Blake Road before I ever got to Gun Club, just to see how much of it I remember. The only thing I recall is where the road swerves to the left in front of a still-huge cottonwood tree: Dead Man's Curve. It's not named that for nothing. Approaching Coors Road at the end (actually, it's not the end; Blake Road continues west of Coors now), I was stunned at how much development (if you want to call it that) has taken place in that area. From Blake to Gun Club on Coors (and possibly further south; I didn't look) is fast-food joints, auto shops, gas stations, etc., etc. Not a real pretty part of town. Turning left onto Gun Club from Coors, it's houses all the way to Isleta. I could find and recognize only one family home from the '50s/'60s: the Wenks'. The old Buhler house on the corner of Gun Club and Isleta is still there, but is looking pretty trashy. I remember how pretty that place was. What a shame. I could swear half the trees are missing.
By this time, and after all that, it was only around 10:30AM, so we got off Isleta at Rio Bravo and joined up with I-25. I had decided that Santa Fe was a good idea, so off we went. About 40 minutes (possibly more) later, I read a sign that read "Cochito Lake" off to the left. This was quite a ways north of Bernalillo. I had been hoping to see some Indian (is that pc? am I supposed to say "Native American"?) pueblos and possibly look at some jewelry, plus the sign had reminded me that a long, long time ago, Jerry had had a Ducati motorcycle, and I'm pretty sure we went, at least once, on a bike ride up on Cochiti Lake Dam. I was curious to see that again.
It's a nice, lazy type of drive up there; there are several pueblos - Cochiti, Santo Domingo, and a third one, I think. I imagine it's prettier in the summer. I found the town of Pena Blanca, an odd little town with lots and lots of trees and farmland - oh, yeah! and some buffalo! - surrounded by the high desert. I don't know if it's part of one of the pueblos, or what. I eventually found my way just past the Dam Lake, or rather, the Lake Dam and stopped to ask where I'd end up if I continued on my road and was told "Jemez". Well, that was a little farther north than I intended so I turned around, had a look at Cochiti Lake and the Dam (very pretty; they dammed the Rio Grande to make the lake and have installed a prize-winning golf course there), and headed back toward I-25. I turned north again and stopped just south of Santa Fe, having just seen it last year, and went off toward Madrid.
By this time, I had noticed that it was cold as hell, and the clouds, which had started the day only "partly", were thick and dark. I had neglected to watch the weather since Albuquerque's having some very enjoyable days - 70's, almost 80's and dry, dry, dry!
Passed Cerrillos, which is growing like crazy, went through Madrid, which is charming as ever, and finally got to Cedar Crest and Tijeras Canyon. It rained - sprinkled, really - the whole way, and I had the heater going. As I exited Tijeras Canyon (and evidently, the Verizon Badlands) my cell phone signaled that I had a message. It was Deb, telling me that if the dogs and I were bored, we could go hang out at her place; she had left the door unlocked.
The dogs and I grabbed burgers and headed to her place. We couldn't have been there more than ten minutes when Deb showed up, and almost immediately after, Myers RV called to tell me the antenna installation job was finished, and they had lubed the chassis and changed the oil. Impressive! The antenna job alone is usually six or eight hours.
Well, what a good day! Got to do some reminiscent-type sight-seeing (site-seeing?) and got some improvements/maintenance done on my home.
Tonight (7:00PM), it's raining like crazy and we're supposed to have high winds and thunder. In Albuquerque? Where the sun shines more than 300 days out of the year? Actually, this is good news: all the natives have been saying how long it's been since they've had a good rain.
Later.
Didn't get to see Deb 'til Thursday night after her respite care job; we had dinner at a nearby Chili's and laughed 'til our stomachs ached. Friday night, we had a sort of picnic supper at her house and did a little more laughing. It never ceases to amaze me that we can spend five years and not make a single phone call or write a note, and still pick up like we just talked yesterday.
Saturday we took the dogs to Petroglyphs National Monument, just west of Albuquerque. When I was a kid, the old inactive volcanoes there were nothing special; just a backdrop for the mesa. There was a college there...St Joseph's, I believe, and I think it's still there. The difference is that since my youth, (1) the volcanoes were discovered to hold historical significance in that there are ancient drawings on the volcanic rocks, and (2) the whole area is now surrounded by housing developments. You can see the houses all the way from the base of the Sandia mountains: what used to be just mesas and dunes are now thousands and thousands of houses, both north and south of Coors. Deb led me from there north on Old Coors Road (which I thought never went any further north than West Central Avenue) all the way past Corrales almost to Bernalillo (which is also heavily developed). Rio Rancho and Paradise Hills are now accompanied by something called "Taylor Ranch" and a huge shopping mall, larger than the old Coronado Shopping Center and decrepit old Winrock in the NE heights.
We hiked the Petroglyphs. About thirty minutes was all I could take; it was hilly and the sand was loose so it was quite a trudge. The dogs loved it, and Deb's fit as a fiddle, so....
That evening we went our separate ways, if for no other reason than to get a decent night's rest, all to start up again in the morning...
...which, for Deb, means "noon". We finally got rolling and went to a very large flea market in what is, in September every year, the New Mexico State Fair Grounds. I prefer a flea market that has more antique and craft items, but this one was just one huge, disorganized yard sale. We both found some lovely baskets, native American-designed, but I'm not real sure they were actually produced by native Americans. After a good long walkaround, we went to our respective "homes", me to walk the dogs, who'd been pent up all day in the RV, and Deb to get ready for work the next day.
Monday was a day of rest/laundry, and Tuesday I took the dogs in for their quarterly shampoo/nail clip. They spent over half the day there, so I used their absence as an opportunity to wash all the rugs, vacuum, wash some screens and windows, dust and simonize the dashboard of both VanGo and Oor, clean the bathroom, and get rid of too much "schtuff" in my closets. All this nice, clean space makes me appreciate the rig more. I also managed to get an oil change and new wiper blades on Oor, so I had a good, productive day and wound up with a clean, sweet-smelling house and two dogs in the same condition.
Today (Wed., 4/9) I took VanGo to Myers RV here in Albuquerque and had a satellite antenna installed on the roof. The latest technology, it stands not even as high as the air conditioner up there, and its aim is automatic. I was tired to death of not being able to aim the satellite dish DirecTV had given me, and this will make tv watching better and rig resale easier. While we were without our little abode, the dogs and I took off in the car to try to find something to do.
First off, I needed a new bulb for my right turn signal; it had gone out the day before without my notice. I pulled into Pep Boys on San Mateo and Central, where they had done the oil/wiper change the day before; they were out of my particular bulb. I headed down to Lomas to Quality GMC to see if they had the bulb; nope. (Reminder to self: Don't forget to change the oil drip pan plug on Oor next time you get an oil change.) I gave up, and decided to head downtown just to see what's up.
By the time I reached downtown, I had decided to head for the south valley. I turned south on 4th Street, intending to catch Bridge Street and cross the river there. The City Fathers have redecorated the downtown area to an unrecognizable degree. Fourth Street has been blocked to make a sort of arcade or something from Marquette to Central, so I had to do some fancy backtracking and zigzagging to get to the intersection of Fourth and Central. Finally got there, to find the sole recognizable building in the downtown area: the Simms Building. The parking garage across the street is still there, but I don't think that's where people catch the city (county?) bus any more. I saw no signs nor people there.
Anyway, I kept heading south on Fourth Street, looking for Bridge Street, where I would turn right and go over the bridge. I found the semi-major intersection of Fourth and Cesar Chavez and as I glimpsed to my right, sure enough, I saw the bridge. They had changed Bridge Steet's name.
We crossed the bridge and turned left onto Isleta Blvd. It now takes much less time to go from the head of Isleta Blvd. down to Gun Club Road than it did forty years ago, I swear. It is much changed. I turned on Blake Road before I ever got to Gun Club, just to see how much of it I remember. The only thing I recall is where the road swerves to the left in front of a still-huge cottonwood tree: Dead Man's Curve. It's not named that for nothing. Approaching Coors Road at the end (actually, it's not the end; Blake Road continues west of Coors now), I was stunned at how much development (if you want to call it that) has taken place in that area. From Blake to Gun Club on Coors (and possibly further south; I didn't look) is fast-food joints, auto shops, gas stations, etc., etc. Not a real pretty part of town. Turning left onto Gun Club from Coors, it's houses all the way to Isleta. I could find and recognize only one family home from the '50s/'60s: the Wenks'. The old Buhler house on the corner of Gun Club and Isleta is still there, but is looking pretty trashy. I remember how pretty that place was. What a shame. I could swear half the trees are missing.
By this time, and after all that, it was only around 10:30AM, so we got off Isleta at Rio Bravo and joined up with I-25. I had decided that Santa Fe was a good idea, so off we went. About 40 minutes (possibly more) later, I read a sign that read "Cochito Lake" off to the left. This was quite a ways north of Bernalillo. I had been hoping to see some Indian (is that pc? am I supposed to say "Native American"?) pueblos and possibly look at some jewelry, plus the sign had reminded me that a long, long time ago, Jerry had had a Ducati motorcycle, and I'm pretty sure we went, at least once, on a bike ride up on Cochiti Lake Dam. I was curious to see that again.
It's a nice, lazy type of drive up there; there are several pueblos - Cochiti, Santo Domingo, and a third one, I think. I imagine it's prettier in the summer. I found the town of Pena Blanca, an odd little town with lots and lots of trees and farmland - oh, yeah! and some buffalo! - surrounded by the high desert. I don't know if it's part of one of the pueblos, or what. I eventually found my way just past the Dam Lake, or rather, the Lake Dam and stopped to ask where I'd end up if I continued on my road and was told "Jemez". Well, that was a little farther north than I intended so I turned around, had a look at Cochiti Lake and the Dam (very pretty; they dammed the Rio Grande to make the lake and have installed a prize-winning golf course there), and headed back toward I-25. I turned north again and stopped just south of Santa Fe, having just seen it last year, and went off toward Madrid.
By this time, I had noticed that it was cold as hell, and the clouds, which had started the day only "partly", were thick and dark. I had neglected to watch the weather since Albuquerque's having some very enjoyable days - 70's, almost 80's and dry, dry, dry!
Passed Cerrillos, which is growing like crazy, went through Madrid, which is charming as ever, and finally got to Cedar Crest and Tijeras Canyon. It rained - sprinkled, really - the whole way, and I had the heater going. As I exited Tijeras Canyon (and evidently, the Verizon Badlands) my cell phone signaled that I had a message. It was Deb, telling me that if the dogs and I were bored, we could go hang out at her place; she had left the door unlocked.
The dogs and I grabbed burgers and headed to her place. We couldn't have been there more than ten minutes when Deb showed up, and almost immediately after, Myers RV called to tell me the antenna installation job was finished, and they had lubed the chassis and changed the oil. Impressive! The antenna job alone is usually six or eight hours.
Well, what a good day! Got to do some reminiscent-type sight-seeing (site-seeing?) and got some improvements/maintenance done on my home.
Tonight (7:00PM), it's raining like crazy and we're supposed to have high winds and thunder. In Albuquerque? Where the sun shines more than 300 days out of the year? Actually, this is good news: all the natives have been saying how long it's been since they've had a good rain.
Later.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Moving On
On Sunday, Mar. 30, I got bored with Las Cruces so decided to leave the following morning.
Set out that Monday and went straight north on I-25 to Albuquerque, where I arrived around 3:PM. The topography and geography of that route was all new to me; I must have a very bad memory, or maybe I've never been that route. When I left Las Cruces, the Rio Grande (which is very full, I meant to mention earlier) was on the west side of I-25. Not too far north of Cruces, it crosses to the east and stays that way 'til I got to Isleta Pueblo. I-25 bypasses Belen and Los Lunas altogether, so I didn't see but a glance of each town.
I'm at El Rancho Mobile Home Park on Wyoming SE. Friend Deb has informed me that in the last 15 years or so, this area has been designated a war zone. Oh, fine. Now she tells me.
Started getting the rig connected up when I realized the only electricity I had was my lights, which are 12.5 v. Nothing else in the rig, using 110 v., would power up: no refrigerator, no tv, no etc. I called the Park management, who did the usual. They always ask if I'm sure I plugged in right, and then they always say "it must be something with your rig". They never check their own damn facilities first; they blame the renter first. Other RVers I've talked to say it happens to them, too. Must be an occupational hazard. Eventually, they came to have a look, you know, to make sure I was connected correctly. Upon investigation, they discovered that their whole @#$%^ electrical pole was burnt out. No one had been in my spot in the five months previous, and they had no idea. They replaced their breaker and voila! Suddenly I had electricity! No apology, no nothing. Do these people forget that I'm giving them money? Do they forget that when I give money, I'm supposed to get something back? Keee-rist!
After all that, I discover they've blown one of my 12.5 v. fuses. I can't tell which one it is, but I know it's the one that's running the tv antenna booster, which runs on 12.5 v. No tv for the night.
After a decent night's rest (despite that fact that my bed(room) window faces a noisy street), I wake up, feed/walk the dogs, disconnect everything and head to Myer's RV Service up on northeast Central to see about getting the fuse situation fixed. I got extremely lucky at Myer's: two very nice guys in their service department actually came out, took a look around, figured out which fuse was out and replaced it, at no charge. I had spoken to Jarod, one of their electronics wizards, a couple of weeks ago to order a built-in (-on) satellite antenna, and he was more than helpful. My new antenna's still not there yet, but they're going to install in when it arrives.
After a pretty stinky start to my stay in Albuquerque, of which I am very fond, I'm now settled in and pretty damn content. The same network television stations I watched 50 years ago are still in action on the same channels, plus a few new ones.
I emailed Marc and Elaine, and phoned Deb to let everyone know I'm here. Got a return email from Marc almost immediately, and Deb called to let me know that she's doing respite care for someone almost all this week (in addition to her day job), so she and I will get together this coming weekend. Talked to Marc; all the kids are either suffering from or just getting over strep throat, so I won't see them 'til sometime next week.
Am getting around Albuquerque as if I'd never left. There's a Mexican restaurant across the street; not the best, but certainly pretty darn good. Found a dog park out behind the Veteran's Hospital and another one up at Los Altos Park, where Jerry used to golf nearly forty years ago. Found a Walmart and a PetSmart practically across the street from the park. Drove over to Coronado Mall to Sears to get a tool I had misplaced and noticed that Winrock Shopping Center doesn't even exist any more. Changes....
The weather is a little iffy, allergy wise: Monday and Tuesday were windy (very) and the pollen count is way-y-y-y high. Everything I can remember growing here is blooming: the forsythia, the lilacs, and lots of pink or white blooming trees. The dreaded Chinese Elms are bursting forth and will break out into full-size leaves any day now. Today's been quiet and quite warm, and they're predicting rain tomorrow afternoon, which I'll believe when I see. The nights, 'tho, are pretty darn cool, verging on cold. I haven't used any propane in over a month, 'tho, because my tiny little electric space heater is doing a fine job of keeping the three of us toasty-warm.
Albuquerque, NM Elev. 5314'
Set out that Monday and went straight north on I-25 to Albuquerque, where I arrived around 3:PM. The topography and geography of that route was all new to me; I must have a very bad memory, or maybe I've never been that route. When I left Las Cruces, the Rio Grande (which is very full, I meant to mention earlier) was on the west side of I-25. Not too far north of Cruces, it crosses to the east and stays that way 'til I got to Isleta Pueblo. I-25 bypasses Belen and Los Lunas altogether, so I didn't see but a glance of each town.
I'm at El Rancho Mobile Home Park on Wyoming SE. Friend Deb has informed me that in the last 15 years or so, this area has been designated a war zone. Oh, fine. Now she tells me.
Started getting the rig connected up when I realized the only electricity I had was my lights, which are 12.5 v. Nothing else in the rig, using 110 v., would power up: no refrigerator, no tv, no etc. I called the Park management, who did the usual. They always ask if I'm sure I plugged in right, and then they always say "it must be something with your rig". They never check their own damn facilities first; they blame the renter first. Other RVers I've talked to say it happens to them, too. Must be an occupational hazard. Eventually, they came to have a look, you know, to make sure I was connected correctly. Upon investigation, they discovered that their whole @#$%^ electrical pole was burnt out. No one had been in my spot in the five months previous, and they had no idea. They replaced their breaker and voila! Suddenly I had electricity! No apology, no nothing. Do these people forget that I'm giving them money? Do they forget that when I give money, I'm supposed to get something back? Keee-rist!
After all that, I discover they've blown one of my 12.5 v. fuses. I can't tell which one it is, but I know it's the one that's running the tv antenna booster, which runs on 12.5 v. No tv for the night.
After a decent night's rest (despite that fact that my bed(room) window faces a noisy street), I wake up, feed/walk the dogs, disconnect everything and head to Myer's RV Service up on northeast Central to see about getting the fuse situation fixed. I got extremely lucky at Myer's: two very nice guys in their service department actually came out, took a look around, figured out which fuse was out and replaced it, at no charge. I had spoken to Jarod, one of their electronics wizards, a couple of weeks ago to order a built-in (-on) satellite antenna, and he was more than helpful. My new antenna's still not there yet, but they're going to install in when it arrives.
After a pretty stinky start to my stay in Albuquerque, of which I am very fond, I'm now settled in and pretty damn content. The same network television stations I watched 50 years ago are still in action on the same channels, plus a few new ones.
I emailed Marc and Elaine, and phoned Deb to let everyone know I'm here. Got a return email from Marc almost immediately, and Deb called to let me know that she's doing respite care for someone almost all this week (in addition to her day job), so she and I will get together this coming weekend. Talked to Marc; all the kids are either suffering from or just getting over strep throat, so I won't see them 'til sometime next week.
Am getting around Albuquerque as if I'd never left. There's a Mexican restaurant across the street; not the best, but certainly pretty darn good. Found a dog park out behind the Veteran's Hospital and another one up at Los Altos Park, where Jerry used to golf nearly forty years ago. Found a Walmart and a PetSmart practically across the street from the park. Drove over to Coronado Mall to Sears to get a tool I had misplaced and noticed that Winrock Shopping Center doesn't even exist any more. Changes....
The weather is a little iffy, allergy wise: Monday and Tuesday were windy (very) and the pollen count is way-y-y-y high. Everything I can remember growing here is blooming: the forsythia, the lilacs, and lots of pink or white blooming trees. The dreaded Chinese Elms are bursting forth and will break out into full-size leaves any day now. Today's been quiet and quite warm, and they're predicting rain tomorrow afternoon, which I'll believe when I see. The nights, 'tho, are pretty darn cool, verging on cold. I haven't used any propane in over a month, 'tho, because my tiny little electric space heater is doing a fine job of keeping the three of us toasty-warm.
Albuquerque, NM Elev. 5314'
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