Monthly Archive for February, 2010

and then….AND THEN!!!

Published on February 28, 2010 in RV Trips. 7 Comments Tags: , .

So, we arrived in Silver City, NM with temperatures in the 60’s. The sky was overcast with the approaching forecast storm, but the air was balmy. Wild Thing looks like she was 4 wheelin’…the Jeep, looks like it was drug behind a 4 wheeler. I thought about digging out a pair of shorts as we were getting settled.

The storm was forecast to bring rain in the valleys and snow down to 6500 feet in this part of New Mexico. I woke up this morning to a temperature of 45F and wind rattling an open window and roof vent. And then…AND THEN!!!

This gave me the giggles…”unknown precip”.

In Montana we call it snow :)!

Snow is not unheard of here and this winter most of the storms were on a southern track leaving Montana fairly dry and mild with colder and wetter/snowier conditions here and at nearly 6000 feet elevation, Silver City gets it on occasion and sometimes a lot of it.

Sunny New Mexico RV park filled with RVs tagged Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota…Montana… All of us looking for a winter escape…

Rose Valley RV Ranch, Silver City, New Mexico February 28, 2010.

Bosque Birdwatcher’s RV Park and “the Owl”

Published on February 27, 2010 in Front Porch Musings and RV Trips. 5 Comments Tags: , .

San Antonio, New Mexico is a small town, located just off I-25, south of Socorro by 10 miles, Albuquerque by 80 miles. It is home to 2 unique spots: Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge and The Owl bar and Cafe.

Bosque del Apache is Spanish for “woods of the Apache,” and is rooted in the time when the Spanish observed Apaches routinely camped in the riverside forest. Since then the name has come to mean one of the most spectacular National Wildlife Refuges in North America. Here, tens of thousands of birds–including sandhill cranes, Arctic geese, and many kinds of ducks–gather each autumn and stay through the winter. Feeding snow geese erupt in explosions of wings when frightened by a stalking coyote, and at dusk, flight after flight of geese and cranes return to roost in the marshes.

In the summer Bosque del Apache lives its quiet, green life as an oasis in the arid lands that surround it. From the Bosque del Apache Wildlife website

From the main intersection in town, a small sign pointed the way to Bosque Birdwatcher’s RV Park, 3 miles south. The spot appeared to be a farm turned into RV spot with maybe 30 spaces that bordered the wildlife refuge.

This morning I saw what I think are Sandhill Cranes that live in the refuge.

Beautiful in the morning’s pink alpenglow.

Sunrise to the east was worth watching as well.

Some time later we met Mike, Steve’s longtime friend who was his best man at our wedding, at The Owl Bar and Cafe.

The Owl opened in 1947 as a bar but soon after opening, the atomic scientists working the area on the atomic bomb, convinced the owners to start grilling some food at the bar which gave birth to the “Owlburger” – a green chile cheeseburger which has both local and world fame.

These 4 booths, a few tables and a long carved wood bar make up the interior. The burgers were great and the company wonderful. Mike continued north on his way home in eastern MT after a trip to the southwest. We went on our way to Silver City and are now parked at the Rose Valley RV Ranch.

Rose Valley RV Ranch has some interesting history as well…minana!

Into New Mexico

Published on February 27, 2010 in Front Porch Musings and RV Trips. 2 Comments Tags: , .

Yesterday (Friday) morning, we left Pueblo, CO at 9:15, having waited a bit to let snow that ranged from a dusting to 5 inches on Raton pass have a chance to melt.

The road was mostly dry at first but gave way to water and a bit of slush.

Thankfully, Steve had done some repair work on the windshield washer tubes…

‘cuz it got messy!

Raton Pass was not dry, but it was above freezing, sunny and early traffic and plows made for a messy, but easy crossing with no slip-sliding away!

And then we were into New Mexico.

Blue sky and clouds that looked like they had been hand painted dotted the sky.

These photos end with Raton Pass.

The terrain changed from flat dessert to rolling desert and then flattened out into Socorro and finally San Antonio, NM where we spent Friday night at the Bosque Birdwatcher’s RV Park and home to the FAMOUS Owl Bar and Cafe.

In New Mexico!

Published on February 26, 2010 in Front Porch Musings. 4 Comments

Arrived San Antonio, NM – south of Soccorro. Meeting Mike, Steve’s best man, tomorrow for an early lunch here and then on to Silver City.

A BEAUTIFUL Day! … A long day and dinner is not started yet. Photos later or in the morning.

Pueblo, CO morning with a view of Pikes Peak

Published on February 26, 2010 in RV Trips. 5 Comments Tags: , .

The sun rose and subtly colored the sky…

…but it lit the high desert and Pikes Peak to the west.

Breakfast has been had and we are letting things warm up and thaw a bit before heading south. We drove through several snow squalls yesterday and they left behind a bit of ice and snow pack. We are at about 5700 feet here in Pueblo and will ascend to 7000 plus or minus over Raton Pass into New Mexico.

Later from the “Land of Enchantment”.

WOW – Check Steve’s Flickr – he got a spectacular shot this morning!

Rolling again

Published on February 25, 2010 in RV Trips. 4 Comments Tags: , .

I started early this morning, finished early – 3 long days prior – work week done! We rolled out of Ft. Collins, CO at 2:00 p.m. and into Pueblo, CO at 6:00 p.m. successfully negotiating Denver via the 470 bypass (no traffic!!) as well as Colorado Springs at 5:00 p.m. and occasional snow squalls. All went smooth and we are both on our laptops catching up and waiting for our beef enchiladas with Hatch chiles (!!!) to come out of the oven.

And oh, Karl has had a walk, Bob has been out – all of us well.

Catchin’ the last rays

Published on February 24, 2010 in Pets and RV Trips. 4 Comments Tags: , , , .

Bob spent the morning chasing the sun. This might be the last of it for our stay in Ft. Collins. A small weather disturbance is due this afternoon and evening. It is 44F at noon as I write this and supposed to stay warm overnight and into tomorrow with the worst of the “disturbance” hitting the mountains.

The current plan is an early afternoon departure tomorrow with Pueblo or Colorado City being the planned Thursday night stop.

Karl and Steve are out enjoying the last of the sun and gathering supplies for the remainder of our trip south.

**Karl and Steve have been exploring the Cache de Poudre River Valley/Gorge east of where we sit and Steve has begun posting photos on his Flickr….more this afternoon and evening when they return. Karl has been in the river (his feet) seemingly unmoved by cold of the icy water – in fact, he comes home in high spirits as in extremely invigorated!

Neighbors

Published on February 24, 2010 in Pets, Photos and RV Trips. 3 Comments Tags: , .

Another blue sky morning for our morning walk.

We said hello to Hamburger and Sirloin who live beyond the fence in the neighboring pasture. Their brothers Ground Chuck and Studley were nearby…