Today's chillin' plans were put on ice to check out the bears

The entrance to Bearizona

OK, so we didn’t chill as much as I thought we would today. Sometimes it is hard not to want to get up and do when you are in such a beautiful place. Part of it is that we have traveled so far to get here and you feel like you don’t want to waste a minute.

The longer you are here, the more you realize that there is to do. We did take it easy in the morning. Joan slept in a little and I went for a 3-mile walk that took me from the RV park into the City of Williams, Arizona and then back by a different route (the old Route 66).

While in town I stopped at the Grand Canyon Railroad ticket office to see what the train to the Grand Canyon costs and learned the cheapest seat is $70 a person for the all-day trip. In the past 12 years, I’ve learned a little from Joan’s mother and I asked for any discounts and was told there were only group discounts.

So when I got back to the trailer, I went online and found a coupon code through Visit Phoenix.com that offered a 20 percent discount for the trip. So I booked online for a total savings of $28. In addition, I learned that we would have to pay $8 each for the National Park Service admission and so I went to the local Visitor’s Center and Forest Service office and paid $10 to receive my senior, lifetime parks pass.

White bison

The train company said they would refund the $16 they tacked onto my tickets so I saved another $6. Am I starting to sound like a bonafide senior citizen or what? We are also planning a return visit to the Grand Canyon on our own and tomorrow we will be visiting three other National Monuments and the pass can be used for that instead of paying a fee.

Tonight I told Joan I would take her for dessert at a local diner and by golly, I’m going to ask for the senior discount there. I’ve cut out a number of coupons for discounts to other attractions we will be visiting in the next few weeks as well.

Here are three words you should never hear at the Visitor’s/Information Center when you ask a question as simple as whether there is an old fashioned diner in town: “I don’t know.” It turned out there is a diner about two blocks from the visitor’s center. I found it on my walk back to the RV park. Sheeesh.

When I returned home Joan and I devoured our Cookie Diet breakfast and we set to work on the laundry. Working together we finished the laundry by 1 p.m., had lunch and then headed back to Williams so I could see how far I walked this morning. (3.2 miles)

Big Horn Sheep

Although we planned to do nothing today but the laundry and a few chores, Joan suggested we check out “Bearizona” a drive-through nature center about 1-mile from our RV park. The woman who checked us into the RV park mentioned her husband worked there and that it was a very nice stop with interesting animal exhibits.

She was right.

Less than two years old, Bearizona, has as its main concept the idea that the animals are free (to a point) and the people view them from the safety of their cars as they drive through the habitat.

We hit the gate about 2 p.m. and, since I was on a roll, I asked if there was a senior discount and saved us another $2. Man, I’m really enjoying this senior thing.

Old buses to become fake rock wall

The first thing that caught our eye was a string of old, decrepit buses, shipping containers and large vehicles parked along the main road leading into the animal park. The woman at the gate apologized and explained that they use the vehicles as the base for the fake rock walls they are making.

As we got closer we could see the wire and metal mesh attached to the vehicles were all ready for the concrete trucks to spread a coating over them to make it look like a formidable rock wall.

She also warned us not to get out of our car and to keep our windows and sunroof closed as we passed through Wolf and Bear country.

A black bear keeps a wary eye on us

Inside the large compound we crossed over those metal grates that keep animals from crossing and started our journey through the park. At first we were a little disappointed as the first animals were American burros. Not exactly the animal you would fear meeting in your car.

But soon we passed into the section of the park that included the Bison, rams and bear. On our first pass through we did not see the Tundra Wolves that were advertised on the fence. When we returned for a second pass, we saw the wolf sleeping right near the road. So close he could have bitten us, but only if he wasn’t sleeping, if our windows were not up and if he could run 70 mph.

Four black bear cubs form a chain of ear cleaning

When we approached Black Bear country a nice man greeted us at the gate and warned us again to shut our windows and sunroof and to not let the bears get too close to the car as they could do serious damage to the paint with their claws.

After learning we were from Michigan, he mentioned that some of the bears in the exhibit were rescued from upper, lower Michigan after they became repeat nuisance offenders. There were plenty of Black bears and we got up close and personal, but none of them seemed interested in my Tahoe’s paint job.

At the end of the 2-mile road Bearizona turns the tables on the animals and let the humans walk around and see the animals in smaller habitats. Most of the animals in this area were young (bear cubs) or rescued wild animals. We also saw bobcats, lynx, raccoons (I know, I know), young wolves, something that looked like a wild pig, but an animal that a sign warned us not to call a “pig.”

Great Horned Owl

At 3 p.m. we went to the Free Flight Raptor show and saw a number of beautiful birds of prey, including three that were allowed to free fly over us. In fact, when I saw over us, I mean we felt the wings hit our heads as they passed by us. The woman narrator was very knowledgeable and then invited us to stay after the show and watch as they worked on training a young barn owl to participate in the show.

Just seconds after I asked Joan (she was a science teacher after all) why the birds didn’t just fly off into freedom, the small barn owl did just that.

A sleepy Tundra Wolf

The bird was returning to its perch on the stage when it was spooked by a large raven that flew at it near the stage and it took off in the wrong direction. One of the bird handlers grabbed a large container and went off in the direction of “Burro Country” to see if she could coax the bird back home. Eventually, she did.

One of the bird handlers brought out a hawk and let us get up close and personal before putting the bird back to bed. All the birds are rescue animals or ones that were domesticated to a point they could not be returned to the wild.

Our favorite was a large Great Horned Owl. Could not believe how big that bird was.

Look close and you'll see I'm nearly prey for this bird

Weather here was terrific today with highs in the high 70s to low 80s. On the Phoenix television news station tonight they were sighing with relief that tomorrow’s temperatures were dropping back into double-digits. The high tomorrow in Phoenix is supposed to be 98. But it’s a dry heat.

Because next week we are storing the trailer while we head to California for a few days without our mobile hotel room we are eating in each night cleaning out our stock of food that we brought with us. Tonight we had a Shrimp Louie Salad with Joan’s homemade dressing and I took Joan to the old-fashioned diner that the local visitor center official didn’t know existed.

New Mexico in the rear view mirror, Arizona in the windshield

The sign to Canyon RV Park in Williams, Arizona

It was moving day today. Sadly our time in Albuquerque came to an end, but the memories will linger for a long, long time. Again, a big thanks to our local hosts, Terry and Susan, for their help, dinner and tour guide efforts.

We would not have seen all the things we did without their help in such a short time. We look forward to a return visit as soon as next year.

Our climb out of Albuquerque was steep, but not too slow. The prevailing winds were from the east and that helped us keep the gas mileage about 10 mpg today. We added more than 2,000-feet in altitude between our start this morning and our pass through Flagstaff about 3 p.m.

The RV park office

Our highest elevation today was 7,335-feet in Flagstaff.

Again the Tahoe performed flawlessly and while our speed fell to 55 mph at times on the hills, I never had to floor the car and the rpms and engine and transmission temperatures were all within normal ranges. Temperatures climbed to 85 during our traverse of Arizona this afternoon, but again, no problems.

Well, one problem. Most of the gas stations we use are large travel centers, but even then for rigs as large as ours and fifth wheels it is still a little bit of a challenge to make your way in and out of those stations safely and without bending our vehicle or those of others.

Some of the motel rooms are former railcars

Most people are very courteous and take care of the fueling business as quickly as possible so as to free up the end pumps for the larger rigs. In our case when I pull up to a pump I quickly take care of the fueling and then move the rig to a large parking area away from the pumps to free up the fueling station for the next RV.

But every so often you come across a person who, despite seeing another large vehicle waiting, will walk the dog, visit the restroom, buy their lunch and generally drive me nuts while I am waiting behind them, usually blocking an entire driveway, while they dilly dally.

Another motel room

At a Love’s Travel Center in Arizona, we had a man who did all the above holding us up for an unreasonable amount of time. I wanted to get out and give him a lesson, but my loving and patient wife prevailed on me to not make a scene. So I just boiled over, the only boil over of the day, in my driver’s seat.

So, if you are reading this and you are one of those inconsiderate people who think only of yourself. Try a new approach.

Our campsite view to the south

We're preparing to duck tomorrow to avoid any space junk falling from the sky. Unfortunately my Sky Lab helmet from the 1980s has been misplaced. I remember all the hype from that event as well.

Joan noted an increase in clouds as we headed west and a complete change in scenery from high desert to our current forested location, which is in Williams, Arizona just south of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

We set up quickly at the Canyon Motel and RV Park (see photos).

Joan made us a special chicken dinner “in house” and she is looking forward to the start of the new season of “Grey’s Anatomy” tonight on ABC.

With all the activity of the past few days and the long travel to get us here, tomorrow is going to be a day to chill and get some laundry and chores done around the trailer. Sightseeing will resume on Saturday. I may even have a chance to do a little reading tomorrow. Yeah!

Mileage out: 76923

Time out: 8:45 a.m. (Mountain time)

Mileage in: 77297

Time in: 2:45 p.m. (Arizona-Pacific time – Arizona is the only state that does not observe Daylight Savings Time. Interestingly the Reservations in the state do observe Daylight Savings Time so that should make things interesting.)

Bye-bye Albuquerque, we hardly knew ye (but we're gonna get to know you better)

Joan at Casa Ronderna Winery

If it is any indication of how much we have enjoyed this place, I asked the owner-manager of the Stagecoach RV Park, the place we are staying in Rio Rancho, if it would be possible to reserve our spot now for next year’s Balloon Fiesta in October.

It was too early, but he gave me a date I could call to make sure we were booked in her for a couple weeks next fall.

We have really liked the RV park, we have also enjoyed visiting our friends from the Flint area who now live here and we realized early on that four days was just not enough time to see and experience all there is to do here.

One of the many rattlesnakes at the "Rattlesnake Museum"

The feel of New Mexico is so different from what we are used to that it is hard not to thing we are in a foreign country and completely out of place. But the folks here are very friendly and the weather is terrific.

Sometime during the day Joan asked one of the locals if she ever got tired of seeing the sun every day. Albuquerque apparently sees the sun 340 days out of 365 each year on average. The woman said they don’t really ever get tired of the sun, but on the rare overcast days they actually kind of like it as a change.

With the lack of rain and the preciousness of water here, there are not many of what those of us from Michigan would call a lawn. I mentioned to Joan that I can’t imagine that a lawn tractor dealership or a lawn care company would do very well here.

The fun continued today with a leisurely up-and-at-‘em morning and a trip back downtown to Old Town Albuquerque. We had stopped there Monday night after dinner and Joan found a street vendor who had beautiful turquoise jewelry at very reasonable prices.

Jemez Mountains

After she left, she was sorry she hadn’t purchased more so we went back down this morning in search of the vendor, who we found. Joan made some additional purchases and we also assisted the local economy by buying a few small souvenirs of our time in New Mexico.

While we were downtown we also decided to tour the American International  "Rattlesnake Museum" which has a collection of venomous and non-venomous snakes. I'm not a big fan of snakes, but am not too nervous when they are behind glass.

Joan asked the owner if the snakes were all in containers and his answer wasn't as reassuring as I would have liked: "I certainly hope so," he said.

But the snakes all looked incredibly well cared for and one was in the process of eating his mouse meal.

The red cliffs of Jemez Mountains

We toured an old Roman Catholic Church and I came across a man with a U.S. Navy Fletcher class destroyer shirt from the USS Pritchett, DD-561, which is a sister ship of my destroyer, the USS Cogswell, DD-651. The Pritchett sailors were here for their reunion, which is coincidentally the reason Joan and I are eventually heading to Tucson.

Had a nice visit with a couple of the sailors, swapped a few Navy stories and wished each other well. There is a bond between those of us in the tin can Navy that is hard to explain. Also had a short, but pleasant conversation with a U.S. Air Force veteran of Vietnam who is also a street vendor.

Joan endures my military conversations with great patience. On the other hand, I endure her shopping with great patience as well.

Jim and Joan in a hot springs cave

After the shopping tour of Old Town Albuquerque we had OnStar take us to the Casa Rondena (the second “n” in the name should have one of those little Spanish tildas over it, but I don’t know how to make it on my keyboard) winery.

We learned from the man working there that it was in New Mexico, and not California, in the early 1600s that the Spanish planted their first vineyards in what would later become the United States of America. Joan tasted five wines and we left with three bottles of wine, one for the Family Literacy Center auction in April. Joan is becoming a big fan of New Mexico wines and she should know, she has tasted wines in more than a dozen states – so far.

Joan and Susan by the hot springs in Jemez Mountains

The man at the winery looked at me like I had landed at Roswell when I told him I don’t drink wine or any other alcoholic beverages. But I get that reaction frequently at Joan’s wine tasting adventures.

We headed back to the trailer and then met up with our friend Susan at 3 p.m. for our next, and unfortunately, last adventure in Albuquerque.  Terry, my friend from the Flint Police Department, had to work so we said our farewells and headed off to Jemez Mountains northwest of Albuquerque.

Joan and Susan belly up to the bar at Los Ojos

With Susan as our tour guide we went down some roads that I could have never found on my own. They led us to some incredible vistas, hot springs and rock formations. We marveled again at the natural beauty everywhere around us. We dipped our fingers into naturally heated water at hot springs running right next to a two-lane highway.

We drove through Native American pueblos and very closely followed the speed limits as we have been warned that the Tribal Police are not very forgiving about speeding on the reservation.

Following that, Susan took us to Los Ojos a pub in a place called Jemez Springs.

The tarantula I didn't run over

Sometimes there is nothing quite as tasty as a good, handmade bar burger and fries. That is what we all had at Los Ojos.

On the way home at dusk I nearly ran over a tarantula crossing the street (they really should put up some tarantula crossing signs) swerving just in time to miss squashing him. I had to double back and grab another picture of a tarantula, especially one I nearly killed.

So as the sun set on Rio Rancho, we dropped off Susan at home and made our way home to start the packing and storing necessary for the next leg of our trip tomorrow to Williams, Arizona.  

A great hike, a great day and a little wine tasting

Hard to believe that a day that included a 3-mile walk up a steep trail with plenty of obstacles could be a perfect day, but that was today. Joan and I found a trail on the Cochiti Reservation that seemed out of the way enough that it might be just the kind of hike that we would enjoy.

So off we set this morning after a quick tour around the RV park to see how many different states were represented here. There are plenty and the park is quickly filling up for next week’s Balloon Fiesta here in Albuquerque. From what we have heard this annual event draws many, many thousands of people from all over.

When I booked out spot, the park manager told me we would have to be out by Friday as he is completely booked for the next week.

Anyway back to the hike.  About half way between Albuquerque and Santa Fe we left I-25 and drove the back highways to the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument.

We were greeted at the gate by a Native American man who welcomed us to the park and outlined for us the various trails available for the monument.

We chose the Slot Canyon Trail which was 1.5-miles up and 1.5 miles down the same trail. Over that distance we rose from the valley to nearly 800 feet with a panoramic view of New Mexico from the mountains north of Santa Fe to Sandia Mountain next to Albuquerque.

It is difficult to describe the beauty we saw on this walk. The pictures will help, but there were several times that our breath was taken away as we turned a corner and saw new vistas. The park seems not well advertised and going up and down we met only about two dozen people on what was a picture perfect weather day. (After reading this scroll down to the previous item and see several more photos of our hike).

We saw wonderful wild flowers, a few lizards and one very ugly tarantula, which I grabbed a quick snap shot of as it hid under a rock. The large hairy spider was hiding under the same rock I had just climbed over on our way down the mountain.

Joan was a real trooper, especially with her barely functioning knee. She refused all my offers to end the hike and head back down and just enjoy the view from the bottom. We both made it to the top and I extended my hike to a long trail that put me on an overlook of the trail and parking lot where we started the walk.

Some of the trail took us through stone wall canyons hundreds of feet high and some of the spaces so tight only one person could squeeze through at a time. The weather was warm in the sun and reasonably cool in the shade. Unfortunately there was much more sun than shade.

Some of the stone steps required Joan to really stretch and use my helping hand to get up and on the way down a few required her to sit down and edge down slowly. But she made it.

The unusual rock formation was the product of volcanic activity some 6-7 million years ago and the effect of millions of years of water and wind erosion.

In spots the trail was a little slippery due to the loose gravel. But neither of us fell. Looking down from the top it was hard to believe we had made it all the way up in just two hours. It took us a little less time to make our way down.

The high altitude, we were above 6,500 feet at the top of the trail, certainly contributed to the difficulty of the hike. Hope you enjoy the photos.

After the hike we continued on north to the City of Santa Fe where we did a little sightseeing and Joan did a little wine tasting at the Vino Del Corazon Wine Room in old town Santa Fe.

Joan found some very fine New Mexico wines and purchased a couple bottles and joined the wine club.

By 4:30 p.m. both of us were pooped from the hike and walk around Santa Fe and we headed back to Rio Rancho, but not before a fairly major shopping excursion at the local Walmart, which is next to the RV park.

Joan rustled up some bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches, cole slaw and potato salad for dinner. We have spent the rest of the evening yawning and groaning as our muscles tighten and complain.

More photos from our incredible hike on Tent Rocks

The start of the Tent Rocks trail.

A narrow natural stone path.

A not so friendly Tarantula

A wild horse chase, a stunning school, an epicurean delight and $22 to the good

A picture perfect day took us out on a hunt for wild horses on the San Felipe Indian Reservation north of Albuquerque.

Our hosts, Terry and Susan, drove us on an obscure two-track road through the back country near Rio Rancho. While the wild horses were scarce, we believe we finally saw some as we drove away from the area, we did encounter beautiful wildflowers, a couple small lizards, a hawk and a very docile cow hiding in the shade of a tree.

Terry drove us down an arroyo (dry river bed) and we did a little rock hunting. We also found evidence of sea shell fossils from a long, long time ago when this whole area was part of an ocean.
Following the wild horse hunt we drove back to Rio Rancho and visited the most incredible high school we have ever seen.

The Cleveland High School campus, which is just starting its third year, looks more like a college or university campus with a matching sports stadium to boot.

Incredible views and modern technology and architecture left us hoping that the students at this school truly appreciate the wonderful opportunity they have here.

Our young tour guide, Matt, the son of Susan and Terry, also took us to a spot on an outside window where he knew a Black Widow Spider lives. Joan, ever the science teacher, could barely keep in her excitement at seeing a creature she had only previously read about.

She was also pretty much in awe of this very modern school.

After the school tour we headed back to Terry and Susan’s house for the next adventure of the day, a trip to dinner at Tucano’s, a downtown Albuquerque restaurant.

This was a very interesting dining experience, also a very filling one. Tucano’s offers what can best be described as a continuous meat sampling. Servers with skewers of specially prepared steak, pork, chicken, turkey, fish, baked pineapple, Brazilian sausage and a salad bar that, while nothing to me is “to die for” it certainly was good enough that I would risk serious injury.

As soon as you’d finish one course of meat another server would appear at the table ready to carve a taste of the next featured meat. If you really liked something (my favorite was the baked pineapple and fried Whitefish in a Mango sauce) they would bring you more. Joan particularly liked the chicken hearts, but no one was complaining about any of the offerings.

Terry and Susan enjoyed it enough they booked a reservation for a family meal in about a week.

After dinner we headed to “Old Town” Albuquerque" and Joan found a set of turquoise earrings that she apparently could not live without for $5. The old buildings and stores were fun to see.

Then on our way back to the campground we stopped at Sandia Casino where they were offering $25 in free play by signing up for a Player’s Club card. I chose to play only with the free money and between Joan and I we left $22 to the good, so all-in-all a great night.

Once again, we thank our wonderful hosts here in Rio Rancho for showing us such a good time. Clearly we are going to have to make a return trip to take in more of the sights of New Mexico.

Calm winds, smooth sailing, good friends, good day

Sometimes I worry too much. For the past few days I have been dreading the climb into Albuquerque with the trailer. We are under the gross weight rating for the Tahoe, but knowing that we would be going to 7,000 feet had me a little worried.

With the final leg of our journey into Albuquerque a little under 200 miles I wanted to make an early departure from Tucumcari so that we could take advantage of the cooler temperatures and diminished morning winds. Our campground was a cheapie, but that was mostly because it did not have shower facilities.

We do not use the shower in the trailer because it is a pain to clean and it puts a lot of moisture into the air which is not good for the long term prospects for the trailer. Mostly we stay in parks with shower facilities, but not last night. So we got up early, took a quickie sponge bath and headed out.

The air was calm and the steady climb from 4,064 feet to 7,000 feet was much easier than I imagined. The Tahoe never struggled and even up some pretty good grades we hung in at 50 mph or better. It is now obvious that wind is a bigger problem for the truck and trailer than any hill.

Let me just say this: “I love my Chevy Tahoe.” On top of that, even with the major grades, we averaged better than 10 mpg for this leg of the trip. Yesterday, with the wind in our face, we barely averaged 7 mpg.

Enough about the mechanics of the trip, the sights and sounds of New Mexico are awesome. The mountains, the mesas, the desert, the cactus and the wide open spaces are everything I remember about the Southwest from my youth. At one point we crossed the Rio Grande. I could almost see John Wayne in my mind’s eye wading across it on his horse.

One of the towns we passed was named Cuervo, like the Tequila. We figured who ever settled it just picked the name off their supply of booze. Actually Cuervo has an interesting history and is a real 'live' ghost town.

There were road signs advertising a business at Cline’s Corner. Not just one or two signs, but dozens of them.

It brought to mind for Joan and I car trips we made and the road side signs that tried to draw you into stopping. As a boy I remember “Mystery Spots” and “Rattlesnack Ranches” that beckoned you to stop or miss the biggest attraction of your life.

Joan recalled trips she made with her children to the East Coast and there would be a constant succession of signs advertising “South of the Border”  for more than 150 miles. The resort, which included a gas station, motel, small amusement park, shopping and fireworks advertised for many, many miles warning you not to miss your opportunity to see this one-of-a-kind place.
The place had a mascot named “Pedro” which was probably a stereotypical  - and politically incorrect – caricature of a Mexican bandito. Typical sign: “Pedro’s Weather Forecast: Chili today, hot tamale.” Each sign had a mileage countdown to the attraction. Another sign said: “Keep yelling kids! They’ll stop.” (Meaning the parents, of course). (You can read more of the signs here.)

Even after you passed these places there would be signs crying out: “You’ve gone too far,” “Turn Back Now you’ve missed “Mystery Spot” – “Rattlesnake Ranch” – “South of the Border.”  Most of the places were rip offs, but as a child the signs put an eagerness and anticipation in you that was hard to avoid.

We didn’t stop at Cline’s Corner, but kept on going to a gas stop in Moriarity our final stop until we arrived at Stagecoach RV Park, which is already on our top 3 list of all the places we have stayed. Pool, exercise room, wide spaces and an incredible view are just part of the reason.

The more we travel the easier it gets to do the set up work with the trailer and we were leveled up, hooked up and ready for a shower by 1 p.m. We caught a score of the Detroit Lions game and couldn’t believe they were up on the Kansas City Chiefs by double digits.

After lunch and getting cleaned up we headed to the local grocery store, which is within walking distance to pick up a Sunday paper, a bunch of flowers for our dinner hosts and a bottle of wine for Joan.

We headed over to home of Terry and his wife Susan for dinner. I knew Terry from my days of police reporting for the Flint Journal. Terry was a traffic officer, later a sergeant and even later a lieutenant. We have kept in touch and we had always planned to stop and see him when we traveled west.

Barbeque ribs and shrimp and great company and catching up made this a day very worth remembering. Susan pulled out a framed picture of a Flint Journal front page that included a photo of Terry and a story with my byline.

They have a beautiful home in a nice suburb of Albuquerque. Tomorrow we will get a local tour of the area from Terry and Susan and then have dinner in downtown Albuquerque.


Mileage out: 76437
Time out: 8 a.m.

Mileage in: 76633
Time in: 11:55 a.m.