Urban Road Trip 4/15- 4/21/21

Sorry no photos with this, I have shitty internet coverage at the moment. I'll post photos next time.

When Nancy passed and before I had a sense of how bad the COVID pandemic would be, I had decided that I would make a point of visiting many of my friends whom I really hadn’t seen since Nancy started all her treatments at MDA. So a few weeks ago I made the trip to Henderson to visit Joe and Amaryllis. This week, I headed to the Hill Country area of Texas to visit a number of friends. This trip would be different from my other Enzo excursions, because I was going to be camping in a city. City camping has always been something we did with the Motorhome, staying in City Parks and RV parks.

My first night I drove to Brady, TX and camped in their city park, then headed to Austin to visit my friend Grace. I had planned to spend 3 nights camped at Windy Point Campground, on a first come, first served basis, which I thought was in Bob Wentz County Park, a beautiful little park on Lake Travis. Turns out Bob Wentz Park is day use only and Windy Point is a private little dump of a campground which is next to the county park. The website was a little misleading or maybe I was a little confused. I was able to grab one night at Arkansas Bend County Park on Friday, then grabbed 2 nights at the Leander NM Austin KOA.  OUCH!!!!!!!!

I think the universe was screwing with me on this trip. When traveling in Enzo, I prefer remote spots, state parks, or at least simple RV parks not resort type RV parks. Also funny, is that when Nancy & I would travel in the Moho, KOAs were our last choice, since they tend to be a bit more expensive due to the amenities they offer which we never used. Anyway, the KOA was relatively close to Grace and they had availability. 

Things didn’t work out to attend the #StopAsianHate rally, but I did have dinner with Grace at the Oasis on Lake Travis. The Oasis is quite the place, sort like a castle on the street side. We had drinks and dinner on the outdoor patio overlooking the lake. It was a little chilly with a pretty stiff breeze, but we survived and had a nice time. Thank you Grace.

Monday, I left the Austin area to visit John, Linda, Bud and Karma, in Big Spring, TX, some of my longest known road friends. We all met in 1999 selling Christmas trees in the greater Houston area. Nancy and I did it for 4 years. Selling trees was a pretty good gig at the time and we all kept in touch over the years, crossing paths on the road and then at their homes when they came off the road. It was great seeing them. We had drinks, great conversation, dinner out and as always we enjoyed each other's company. The next morning, John cooked an awesome breakfast and I eventually said goodbye and headed north. There is no such thing as a quick goodbye with longtime road friends.

Lynn & Louise just happened to be visiting family in Georgetown, TX and staying at an RV park that was a client of mine when we worked for TACO. I arrived there noonish and as is so typical with RVing buddies, we stood outside talking about trucks and rigs for a half hour before finally heading inside so I could  say hello to Louise. I had a great time with them and as with John, Linda, Bud & Karma, it had been many years since I had seen them. Finally, around 5pm I needed to say goodbye and make the two hour drive northwest to Brady, TX which would put be a days drive from home or 3 hours from Monahans Sandhill State Park.

This was an Urban road trip to visit friends, and I was undecided whether I would just head home from Brady or make a slight detour to stop and spend a night at Monahans Sandhill State Park, so that I could get a true camping experience. 

You’ll have to wait until my next blog entry to find out where I went. LOL

Tight lines and safe travels

Why I don’t stay in Motels ( March/April 2021 Road trip)

                                           From our campsite at Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada

                                You won’t see this staying in a motel or Air BnB.

3/25/21 - I had planned to leave the Ranch on 3/24, but a snowstorm was predicted in Northern NM and Northern AZ on 3/24 and 3/26, so I waited until Wednesday, 3/25, then headed out. I cut west from Roswell, past the Very Large Array, through Pie Town, NM and 441 miles later I stopped for the night at a small gift shop at the entrance to The Petrified Forest National Monument. The gift shop had small RV sites with electricity for $15 a night. It was cold, windy and temps were predicted to drop into the low 30s. The wind blew all night and into the next day at around 30 mph. After coffee and a quick breakfast, I drove 20 miles and jumped on I-40 and headed west hoping to get through Flagstaff and the higher elevations of northern AZ before the 3/26 snow storm. I did run into snow, which was falling and blowing, but not sticking to the road. The temperature fluctuated between 33 and 31 degrees, but I finally made it into lower elevation and warmer temperatures, arriving at Joe and Amaryllis’s house in Henderson, NV, late afternoon. 

I spent the weekend at their house and then headed an hour north through the Lake Mead National Recreation Area to Valley of Fire State Park. Turns out that it was spring break for much of Nevada and California. There are two campgrounds, each are first come, first serve and were full. After a couple of passes, I saw a couple packing up a fifth wheel and waited ten minutes for them to leave and grabbed their site. Harvey and June showed up a few hours later and we settled in. Valley of Fire State Park is very small, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in scenic beauty.

                                             First campsite before H2 & June arrive

                                           Does this look like a Poodle?

                                                     Pinnacles loop trail

Tuesday,  we did the Pinnacles loop trail, 4.5 miles which was a short walk from our campsite. The first couple of miles was in a sandy wash, which really wore on the leg muscles, but we didn’t see a single person the entire hike. When we got back to camp June found a awesome campsite just up the hill from where we were camped, the people were leaving the next day, so after speaking with them, she tagged it. The next morning we moved very quickly, once the people left. This would be home for the rest of my stay at Valley of Fire. 

                                                                              Site #20 

The next morning and just about every morning we had big horn sheep either in camp, or in the open desert patch across from our site.

                                                              Big horn next door, site 19

Wednesday, we took advantage of having two vehicles. We took Harvey’s van to the White Domes loop parking area and drove my truck to the Prospect Trailhead, then hiked the 4.6 mile Prospect Trail through some fantastic canyons until we eventually met the White Domes Loop Trail. Again, we hadn’t seen anyone on the Prospect Trail, but that changed immediately at the junction of the White Domes Trail. There were lots of people, a steady stream of humanity, it was a bit anticlimactic, but we did get to hike through a very narrow slot canyon.

Thursday, we headed up the Natural Arches Trail, which was very, very soft sand. We didn’t made it to the end and this trail has been added to my short list of hikes never to repeat.

                                                    Natural Arches Trail

Friday, we did two small hikes, Mouse’s Tank Trail, which had lots and lots of petroglyphs, then the Rainbow Vista Trail, which had great views and huge expanses of colorful slabs and great views. By noon the hot sun, high temperature and soft sand had taken its toll and we headed for the showers, then camp.

Saturday morning Harvey and June headed north to go home to Buena Vista, Colorado, and I decided just to take a chill day, hang out in the shade and relax. The temperature was predicted to be in the low 90s and full sun.

Easter Sunday, I headed back to Joe & Amaryllis’s house for Easter Brunch. Monday morning Joe & I headed up to the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, home to Mt Charleston. There is a significant gain in elevation so temperatures were a bit cooler and there was significant snow in places. We grabbed a campsite and then hiked a short 2.8 mile trail to Mary Jane Falls, which would have been more appropriately named Mary Jane drip, but it was a beautiful day. It got pretty cold at night, just below freezing, Joe slept in his tent, while I had Enzo.

                                                     Mary Jane Falls

Tuesday, we did the Bristlecone Loop Trail, 6.8 miles with some incredible views and deep snow on the north facing slope. We were fortunate that someone had already broken trail and post holed through the deep sections. We finished the hike, grabbed a couple of great sandwiches in Vegas and then headed back to Joe’s.

                                                                  Bristle Cone Loop Trail

I was struck by the fact that, one hour north of Vegas I was hiking in desert sand in blazing heat and one hour west of Vegas, I was hiking through 2 feet of snow and it was the end of winter.

Wednesday, April 7th, I headed out early and made it to the free campground at El Morro National Monument. Nancy & I have spent a lot of time here, because it was close to one of our AGS work assignments in Grants, NM. It was also the very first place we camped in Elmo and how it got its name. ELMO is the abbreviation for El Morro. 

                                                            El Morro Campsite

Thursday, I walked to the visitor center and did the hike to the Pueblo ruins and Inscription Rock.

                                                Stairs to Atsinna Ruins

                                                      The Atsinna Ruins

                                                      View from the top 

It was a great road trip. In addition to seeing friends, I fulfilled Nancy’s wish to give her art supplies to Amaryllis, I got to explore two new places, did some great hikes, spread some of Nancy’s ashes in a place that meant a lot to her and thanks to Joe………. I learned that when the truck’s low fuel light activates, I still have four gallons of fuel remaining.

Tight lines and safe travels. 

Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site - March 19 & 20 2021

For thousands of years, native people have visited these sacred desert mountains and still regard it as a sacred place. Some of the Huecos hold water year round and the rock walls hold thousands of pictographs, as well as historic and present day graffiti. Due to the damage done to the pictographs in the past, the park only allows 70 permits for self guided hiking, 60 of which are reservable, and 10 available first come, first served each morning at 8am. There are only 20 campsites in the park. I was only able to obtain a campsite reservation for Saturday and all of the 60 self-guided permits were already reserved.

My luck as always held out on my visit to Hueco Tanks S.P. last week. I spent Thursday hiking McKittrick Canyon at GUMO, then headed to Sunset Reef Campground, which is a free BLM site and got the last campsite around 4pm. Friday I did some exploring in the area and then headed to Hueco Tanks State Park, about 30 miles northeast of El Paso, Texas. I arrived around noon to discover about 8 vehicles parked outside the main gate to the park, with a ranger. Turns out they were all waiting for a day pass, but 2 campsites were available and the ranger let me pass. I registered for a campsite, had my name added to the day pass waiting list, viewed the mandatory orientation video, settled into my campsite, and at 2pm, the ranger stopped by my site and told me I had a day pass, so I could go hiking.

On Saturday I not only got a day pass but I was able to get a spot on the 3 hour, $2, ranger lead guided hike to view pictographs. The ranger guide was awesome. She had personal knowledge from tribal elders and was able to share some interpretations of the pictographs. I should mention that under the Park’s Management Plan, all tribal members are able to access all areas of the park, and are not counted as part of the limited visitors. For once it seems the government got it right and didn’t discriminate against the rightful owners of this scared land.

The park was a ranch before it was a state park and the ranch house is still in use as the orientation venue. There are also large earthen and stone dams still standing and maintained which were built by the ranch.

The park is also one of the premier bouldering areas in the country. Everyday you will see very fit individuals hiking up North Mountain, with bouldering crash pads strapped to their backs. There are also a few multi-pitch rock climbs in the park. Years ago, Nancy and I came here and did some climbing. My climbing and bouldering days are over, but I did do quite a bit of scrambling on North Mountain. I’m should I could still succeed on some of the easier bouldering problems, but I don’t think my body would handle falls on to the crash pads that well any more.

                          Hunter Ranch Line Cabin, GUMO, about 4 miles up the McKittrick Canyon trail

                     Sunset Reef Campground near Whites City, NM, you can tell its spring break

Mask type pictographs

                                                                   My campsite at sunset

                                                            Native peoples pictographs

Some historic graffiti as well as some of the damage done before the area was protected. In some cases, people have even spray painted their name over 1000 year old pictographs. The park was actually closed for a few years to protect the pictographs while a management plan was developed.

                                                Hueco Tanks Campground from North Mountain.

Roadside Assistance

Because I have a slide-in truck camper mounted on my F-150, if I want Roadside Assistance, it has to be an RV policy. My motorhome has Coach-Net RV Roadside assistance, which is included as part of my motorhome's extended warranty policy and covers the motorhome, but not my F150 with the camper installed. I decided to purchase roadside assistance through the Escapees Club, because it was less expensive than Coach-Net ($109 vs $249) and endorsed by the Escapees club.

I feel obligated to update everyone, because I was somewhat negative about the service I received from my roadside assistance company when my truck broke down in Big Bend National Park. I had spent over an hour on the phone with the customer representative, who was unable to arrange a wrecker for me, so I made my own arrangements to the tune of $1025.00 to have a wrecker take me to the nearest Ford Dealer located in Ft Stockton, TX.

When I arrived home a few weeks later, I contacted SafeRide Motor Club, Inc, which is the actual provider of the policy. That customer service representative was helpful and emailed me forms and instructions to request reimbursement. She informed me that once the paperwork was received, it would be reviewed and I would be contacted within 30 days. I completed the forms and submitted them by email and waited. She wasn't able to provide any other information, nor was I able speak with anyone from the claims department. When I called the claims department, I just got a message instructing me to leave my name, phone number and if it had been more than 30 days since they received the claim, they would return my call. I did however, receive a "do not reply email" after submitting my request, saying the forms were received.

A few days ago I received a check in the amount of $1025.00. Alls well that ends well. My policy is due for renewal in October, and I will definitely stay with this company. They may not be the best communicators, but they pay, which in the end is all that matters.

Tight lines and safe travels

My first online article

Hi everyone,

It's official. My first online article has published, so I guess I am officially a freelance writer. Thank you,Rene for your confidence and introduction to the industry. I still have a lot to learn and will try not to let you down.

Yesterday, it was sunny and in the high 60s, so I enjoyed a long walk and then sitting in the sun and reading, this morning it's snowing, so I guess it's a good day to stay indoors and write. :)

Writing both my own blog, as well as doing the freelance stuff has filled a void.

Anyway, I thought I'd share the link to the article with everyone.

https://www.doityourselfrv.com/portable-tire-inflator/

7 Benefits Of Carrying A Portable Tire Inflator www.doityourselfrv.com

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Tight lines and safe travels

2.23.21 Bear Canyon Trail to Hunter Peak

I could have titled this blog: Ass Kicking in Bear Canyon, or How I got my butt kicked in Bear Canyon, but Google may have thought it was about a UFC fight.

                                                  Hunter Peak from the trailhead

Tuesday was a beautiful day here at Guadalupe Mountain National Park. I arrived on Sunday as sort of a last minute thought because the weather was predicted to be pretty nice. Anyway, Tuesday morning, I headed out on the lower Tejas trail to Bear Canyon Trail to do the 8.8 mile, 2561 elevation gain, loop to Hunter Peak (8368 ft) and then back to the campground (5807 ft). I got a late start because I met my neighbors from Syracuse, NY, in a Lance truck camper and we had coffee and chatted for a while. Finally, at 9:15 am, I took off. I’ve done the lower Tejas trail before and it’s pretty gentle, that changes dramatically once you reach the Bear Canyon Trail. The Bear Canyon Trail rises approximately 2000 feet in 1.8 miles, with very few switchbacks. It is quite the ass kicker. The only thing that kept me hiking up was that fact that I didn’t want to hike down this thing. Sometimes trails are so steep, with high steps, that ascending is much easier than descending, at least in my opinion. I think I should bill Medicare for a Stress Test, all I need is a provider number. At least I know my four coronary stents are open. LOL

I finally topped out of the canyon around 1pm, but I still had another mile and 0.6 mile and 368 feet in elevation to go before getting to the summit. One of the interesting things about hiking in GUMO, is the fact that the lower areas are desert and as you climb and approach 7,000 feet elevation, you leave the desert behind and enter a conifer forest. 

Hunter Peak is the sixth highest peak in Texas, sitting at 8,368 feet, just across the drainage from the highest peak, Guadalupe Peak (8749 ft). Both trails are ranked strenuous, but I have done Guadalupe Peak twice, and it is accessible on horse back. The only hint that Bear Canyon might be an ass kicker is that it is not open to stock animals and the description says it is very steep. What an understatement, that’s like saying getting into the ring with Muhammad Ali is a slight risk.

                                                           Summit of Hunter Peak

Bear Canyon Trail has been added to my very short list of DO NOT REPEAT hikes. No way, for love or money will I hike it again. I know a number of you have hiked Guadalupe Peak, and I’d do that hike again, anytime, in a heart beat, but don’t ask me to do Bear Canyon again. 

I was amazed by this 4-6 inch metal pipe that also climbed the entire length of the canyon. It was broken or cut in a number of places, so I assume it is pre National Park and was probably installed by ranch hands in the 1800s. I don’t know how they did it, but even considering that mules may have carried the 12 foot pipe sections up the trail, the men still had to jockey them into position, some places were quite a distance away from the trail, in a very steep canyon.

This pipe went pretty much straight up the canyon the whole length of the trail

I summited about 1:30 pm, the view from the summit was incredible. There is barely enough room for two people to social distance on it. The wind was blowing at least 30 mph, with much stronger gusts. I literally crawled onto the tiny summit and then stood up, but didn’t stay standing for very long and sat back down. It was quite a bit cooler, especially with the wind chill, so I put on all my layers, as you can see in the photos.

From the summit, I headed down the western, upper Tejas Trail, passing the spot where I took a nap on my first summit attempt in November. I thought about another nap, but it was 2 pm and I was afraid a nap might turn into an overnight, unplanned bivy, so I continued on.  The Tejas Trail is open to stock animals, so it has lots of switch backs and a much gentler slope, albeit longer. I finally reach the campground at 4:15pm. 

I didn’t see anyone the entire day. For those of you that have done Guadalupe Peak, you know there is a steady stream of hikers up and down all day long. I was pretty tired and my quads were really talking to me, so tomorrow will be a rest day. I will admit, I felt better after a double scotch on the rocks. I prepared a very simple dinner and then sat down to write this blog. All in all I am very grateful that I’m able to do these hikes and still push myself further than I expect.

Not sure when I’m heading back to the Ranch, but I maybe Thursday or Friday.

Tight lines and safe travels 

 

Hi Everyone,

2020 has been a real bummer of a year, and we are all hoping that 2021 brings more joy not only to our individual worlds but also the entire world in general. I don't need to list all the negative things that happened in 2020, plus the impact of each negative event impacts each of us differently and each of us would rank the events in a different order.

I try to be a positive person, I'm not always successful but I try. We are 45 days into 2021, and I just returned from a great 3 week vacation in one of my favorite winter places. Being on the road and in the backcountry as a solo, helped me turn a very important personal corner. I really enjoyed camping and traveling in Enzo. I enjoy "living" in my 40ft diesel motorhome, but I enjoy traveling in Enzo. I became very comfortable in Enzo and the flexibility it gives me. I look forward to a positive 2021 and wish the best to each of you.

A cliche comes to mind: "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger" 

Below is a link to one of Nancy's favorite youtube videos. After she found this she shared it with her cancer posse as well as cancer buddies.   I am sharing it with you in the hope that you find it uplifting as we did. It's a great fight song and anyone who has been through treatment either as a cancer patient or caregiver will relate. But, I think it can apply to all the negative events of 2020. TURN UP THE VOLUME!!!!!!!!!

https://youtu.be/BaQdwTsVtCY?list=RDBaQdwTsVtCY

Stronger | Cancer music video Music video that I made about cancer. Thank you to my fellow warriors and nurses for being a part of this. youtu.be

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As soon as this winter storm passes and warm weather returns, I plan to head back to Guadalupe Mt National Park, knock off a few more hikes and enjoy more adventures as a solo traveler. Spring and hungry trout are also just around the corner.

Tight lines and safe travels