California or Bust!

We passed through some interesting weather while driving through the Sierras at Tehachapi, California.

 

We entered the San Joaquin Valley at Bakersfield and spent the night.

We Got Our Kicks on Route 66!

After leaving Santa Rosa, we had an overnight stop at USA RV Park in Gallup, New Mexico. Then on Saturday we drove to Blake Ranch RV Park in Kingman, Arizona.

We enjoyed attending church at Good Shepherd LCMS in Kingman. It is a small, friendly church. They gave us a coffee mug and a book mark to remember them.

After church we dove up Hualapai Mountain to the Hualapai Mountain Resort for a Breakfast Buffet and a drive through the Mohave County Mountain Park.

Next we drove west out of Kingman on Route 66. Western Arizona boasts the longest continuous stretch of this legendary highway, as well as some of the most dramatic scenery.

Along the Route we passed this vintage gas station at Cool Springs Camp. It was closed on Sunday. We were the only ones there.

Wild burros are descendants from the mining days when burros were used to haul rock from the gold and silver mines. When the miners abandoned the area they left some of their animals behind.

Oatman, once a mining town of 8,000, is now a favorite historic stop along Route 66. This "almost ghost town" now has a population of 135. Some call it the town that refused to die.

A few of the wild burros enjoy the attention of the tourists and have found that it is easier to find food in town. Some of the vendors sell bags of "burro food", which is just compressed hay squares. I guess that is healthier than either popcorn or candy.

Continuing our circle tour, we crossed the Colorado River into the town of Laughlin, Nevada. Walking along the strip we came across this old train station.

At the Don Laughlin Riverside Resort and Casino there is a free Classic Car Museum. It was the best vintage car museum we have ever been in. We completed our tour by taking US 68 east over scenic mountains back to Kingman.

Mohave Court House in Kingman, Arizona
Built in 1910

Mural on Route 66 Museum

We Got Our Wheels Back! We Are Rolling Again!

Thursday afternoon, May 2, we picked up our truck from Rich Ford in Albuquerque. Thankfully our comprehensive auto insurance policy covered the expenses minus our deductible. It was almost dinner time, so as long as we were in Albuquerque, we went to a great Mexican restaurant to celebrate. El Pinto was recommended to us by the locals. Boy, we have gotten really good at spelling Albuquerque and now we have to leave already.

YES, we are still here in Santa Rosa, NM

It has been almost two weeks of waiting for the truck repairs. The Ford dealer is still telling us that repairs should be complete by Thursday or Friday. We are excited with the idea of continuing our trek to Oregon. While we are here we did some day tripin'. Here are some of the pictures.
Puerta de Luna, a very small town ten miles south of Santa Rosa, is the site of the Santa Rosa de Lima Chapel built in 1865.



Scuba diving in the desert? The Blue Hole is one of seven rare sink holes in Santa Rosa. Formed by water erosion and connected by a underground river, it has a year round temperature of 62 degrees. At 80 feet deep and 60 feet wide, it has a constant inflow of 3,000 gallons of fresh water a minute.



On a day trip, driving north, we saw many small rock structure ruins.



One stop was at Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge. All the lakes on the Refuge were completely dried up due to the three year drought.



We enjoyed a quiet secluded walk along the Gallinas Canyon.

We did get to the town of Las Vegas, but it wasn't in Nevada.

Montezuma Hot Springs

On another day trip we drove 45 miles south to Fort Sumner, NM. This towns claim to fame was Billy the Kid once called it home. He was shot through the heart at age 21 in July of 1881. As you can see his grave is now protected by a cage as well as secured by iron shackles since the grave monument was stolen and then recovered two different times.

One From the Bucket List

With our truck still in the shop, Sunday, we drove the car 120 miles to Albuquerque for church. We were fortunate to find Grace LCMS.

After church we visited the Anderson Abbuzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum. This museum documents the history of ballooning as well as the Annual Albuquerque Balloon Festival held each October.


This beautiful building is designed to look like a hot air balloon laying on its side. The museum contains many interesting artifacts from balloon history.

We spent the night at a hotel and woke very early to arrive at the launch pad by 6:00 a.m. The sun was just beginning to shine over the mountains as the crew unloaded the equipment.

We helped lay out the 70 foot tall balloon. Large gas powered fans were used to pump air into the envelope.

After the balloon envelope was fully expanded, the propane burners were fired to give the balloon lift.

Ready to go!

Lift Off!

Floating over the Rio Grande River

Flying in the trees

At the end of the trip, we all helped put away the toys. We had a hard time imagining how this large slightly inflated envelope was going to fit into the small bag. Sitting on it helped.

This was a wonderful experience and the memories will last a long time. They say that the balloon trip is free, you pay for a safe landing.

Unexpected Adventure in Santa Rosa, NM

Not a sight we ever wanted to see!

Saturday, we were driving west on I-40. About 100 miles east of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Virginia who was driving behind in the Yaris, smelled something burning. Luckily a Rest Area was just ahead, so we pulled in to check things out. Suspecting nothing, Kurt popped the hood on the truck. What a shock to find the engine on fire. He immediately turned the truck off and the wind then quickly blew the fire out. We are safe in a campground in Santa Rosa while our truck is at a Ford Dealer in Albuquerque.

Five diesel mechanics could not find a cause for the fire. We are awaiting the insurance estimator's arrival. We anticipate being stranded in Santa Rosa for another week or so, but are taking one day at a time.

We are very thankful that we have our little car to drive. This small town doesn't have any cars to rent. We have found a few things to keep us busy while we are here, so we will make the best of it and will continue our journey as soon as possible.

Another Season in the Valley is Complete

While posting signs on the new fence at the Cuevitas tract, we came across this large Red Eared Slider. He was hurrying (well as fast as a turtle can hurry) across the road trying hard to get out of our way.

On our last day of work this Spring we stopped by the Abrams West tract of land to repair the fence. This 900+ year old Cypress tree is quite impressive. The last time we saw this tree, the area was flooded and we couldn't even get down to it. This time we noticed that it had been hit by lightning and some of the branches were damaged. I guess this old tree has been through a lot.

Our time here this year, in the Lower Rio Grande Valley Refuge, is coming to a close. We have already experienced two 100+ degree days. The birds are moving north and so are we.