From Albuquerque to the Mojave Desert - October 2014

Moving right along……..finished another month of work at Camp Oro Quay accomplishing and finalizing many projects.  The men constructed bunk restraints for all of the 3rd high bunks in both the girls’ and boys’ dorms - 96 X 2 = 192 in all; insulated the director’s detached workshop, painted the eaves of the shop and solved several electrical issues.

The ladies finished a curtain project that was started the month before; painted outside frames of windows and doors of the chapel; scrubbed doors of the apartments and assisted with upholstery repairs on the chapel chairs and sanding as needed for the project that the men were working on.

We enjoyed fellowshipping and serving along side two new couples to our circle of friends - Bob & Sharon Gareri #2877 and Gary & Bev Carter #2506.  We enjoyed a real bonafide weinee roast with the staff, an outing of shopping and of course, eating, in Albuquerque.  Another event before this project commenced was the Annual Albuquerque Balloon Festival which all 3 couples attended at some point.  Another couple, the Ragatz’s (Dan & Nancy) happened to be at the festival, came over to visit the project at Sandia Park, and invited us to join them at their RV site at the festival to view the events from an elevated area.  What an experience, so glad we were finally able to attend this event and glad we viewed a successful flight day!  Words cannot express the grandeur - makes one feel like a child again!

Albuquerque proved to be an expensive stay for us but the area dictated availability of these services so we took advantage of it!  Alignment and new tires for the RV, new seating of the windshields, and a new computer.  Whew……$$$$$

A stop off at the Petrified Forest for a quick car tour before heading to Flagstaff.  In our minds this place really confirms the flood during the days of Noah's cruise.  All of the wood lies in the crevices just as if they had landed there after the waters receded.

Ok, on to Arizona to work on a “daddy do” list at our daughter’s (Sarah) in Flagstaff.  Five days of re-arranging furniture to include moving a 2 yr. old out of her crib into her own “big girl” bed and into a different bedroom; moving 7 bookshelves and all the books to a new location; transferring all outgrown baby clothes to their hibernation locations and bringing out the new “big girl” clothes and newborn clothes for the new little girl they are expecting in mid January; constructing a sun shade in the back yard to include laying 23 bags of concrete; repair of the jeep window; relocating a fish tank; transforming an armoire into a desk unit for “E”; and hanging new curtains and making wall decorations to include painting a hillside on 2 walls.  That was the Arizona family project not SOWER!

Arriving one week later in Newberry Springs, CA for a project that will begin Monday, Nov. 3rd - Ironwood Christian Camp (www.ironwood.org).  After one day the ladies have begun a 36-window curtain project and the men have been working on an extension of the meeting hall - today they hung siding and placed more windows in the extension.

The men are expanding the meeting hall in Riverside section of Ironwood

This place is SANDY, DUSTY AND DRY!!!!!  Everything I touch shocks the “bejebbies” out of me and there is a fine layer of dust and sand on everything!  Will not wash the car, RV or sneakers until we land at our next location!  Can’t imagine what the air filters must look like on the vehicles!

Way Station at the entrance of the camp

Our 3 rigs parked in the sand!  None gets tracked in of course!

As we traveled on the highway, I kept thinking a city will soon appear - NOT!  We are literally in the middle of nowhere!  About 1 1/2 hrs. east of Los Angeles, 1 hr. north of Big Bear Lake, and 4 hrs. from Las Vegas.

coming down the mountain from Big Bear Lake

One thing we have been able to see that we never dreamed - a pistachio farm.  They say there is only one other place in the world that grows pistachios - Turkey.  Actually stopped to look at them on a tree - looks like muscadines growing on a small tree about the size of a peach tree. Saturday we attended the annual Pistachio Festival - ate many different flavored pistachios and stocked up on Christmas presents!  One thing for sure, as retirees we don’t have to wait for Black Friday to do our shopping!  Groceries are very expensive here as well as gas/diesel prices which we knew ahead so we stocked up in Arizona before we entered the state of California. 

Saturday afternoon/night we experienced our first “brown out”.  These people were not surprised but we did not like not having electricity for 12 hrs.  It was cold and dark!  Windy is an understatement so putting the awnings out on the RV are out of the question.  They have told us not be surprised if we feel the ground shake with loud thunderous sounds - the gov’t does testing just north of here and it is a standard occurrence.  Yesterday we were able to eat at “Peggy Sue’s” - one of Elvis’s famous stomping grounds.  The paraphernalia was amazing - trouble is I can remember most of everything I saw in my lifetime!  Black & white tile floors with the metal turning stools at an original diner setting.  My dad would have loved to order a real “soda” or “malt”.  Before I leave I will go back and get one!

We will try some minor hiking here on the Camp property - nothing like Albuquerque that’s for sure.  Will take some pics from up on the mountain of the Camp.

Our initial plans are to be here through the holidays reporting to Camp Verde in Arizona next so that we can be close to the Carotenuto’s when the next baby is born……………

Hiking the Sandia Crest - October 2014

If I knew previously to hiking what I know now, NO, I would not do it!  12.5 miles from 6,300 ft. above sea level to 10,600 ft. above sea level in 7 hrs. was all I could possibly do on any given Saturday just outside Albuquerque, NM called the Sandia Crest.  We began about 10:30 a.m. parked our car at the tram, hiked over to the La Luz Trail and then UP UP UP all day long.  We arrived at the top of the tram at approximately 5:00 p.m., had to wait an hour to ride down and then pick up our pizza, drive back to camp, eat, take a shower and in bed within 45 min. of opening the door of the RV!  I think I will eventually lose the toe nail beside my big toe on my right foot but YES, it was worth the effort and I know I saw scenes that most people will not see in a lifetime.  There were times that the trail was no wider than 12 inches and if I had looked over my shoulder periodically during times that we were mountain huggers, I could have lost it!  Oh man, also there was one point where we were passed by 2 younger hikers and looked up at a distance and if someone had told me that we would encounter switch backs along a boulder field, I probably would have said, "Wayne you go on ahead and I will meet you at the car!"  Sometimes just plundering ahead is better than turning back and if you do the math, there might not be enough day light hours to do just that!  The last 7 miles Wayne let me lead.  Now that I think back about that I am not so sure it was for me to set the pace but to keep me from tucking tail and turning around!  What an adventure.  Ok, done that, will not do again for sure, or any other massive trail hiking for that matter!  This body is hanging it up for that type of exercise.  One week later I have had to overcome vertigo which I highly suspect that the hike started that process.  Ears still popping and altitude nausea has set in.  Thank goodness we are leaving Thursday, from camping at 6,300 ft above sea level to Sarah & Vince's in Flagstaff at 7,100 ft.  GOOD GRIEF - RV CRAZY OR WHAT?!

No snakes, just scorpions!

Phase I - the mountain we were about to climb is in that cloud!

Looking backwards to Albuquerque

Getting steeper

and steeper

colors getting prettier

1 of about 12 rock boulder slides (created by blasting) to maneuver through

just a little further  - ugh!

getting more narrower and colors prettier

hang gliders coming from the top

almost there!

permission to come aboard....waiting at the tram, rain in the distance

coming down the tram, sunset - time to go home!

RV CRAZY? YEP!

Balloon Fiesta 2014 - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Balloon Fiesta 2014 brings so many happy faces and makes even the oldest person there seem like they are a kid again.  Not one complaint except maybe that they didn’t fly one morning but there were other flight days and what’s not to like about Dunkin Donuts, funnel cakes and breakfast burritos while they are blowing up the largest balloon ever in the shape of a cow!  And then there was Elvis and Spider Pig (?).  Just the fact that there are so many in one place.  Friday morning us 3 Sower couples are headed for the “Special Shape Rodeo” (at 7:00 a.m. no less) then off to enjoy Old Towne in Albuquerque.  We have learned that retirement is just playing with other old farts!  It's been everything we expected and MORE!  Will post more pics of the special shapes after Friday.  Our hike has been moved to Saturday if the weather stays promising (the remnants of a hurricane are coming up through Arizona today).

Hiking in the Sandia's and the Nuclear Museum

What gorgeous sites there are around here and wonderful hiking excursions.  Took a short hike up the La Luz Trail a few days ago and hope to do the whole thing next Friday.  If you never hear from us again we are somewhere on the westside of the Sandia's!  Everyone says just take it slow, enjoy the scenery and YOU'LL MAKE IT!  Here a few pics from the lower 2 miles of the 9.2 we will be hiking next week.

The nuclear museum is a definite "must see" if you are 55 yrs. old or older.  There are things we remember as kids that happened in our lifetime - kids today only read about them - we relate.

This is Wayne next to "Little Man" and "Fat Boy" - recreations of what was dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima.  (The man in the middle is just an average sized man - thought I might need to clarify that!) Below is the plane that dropped them.

The other 2 couples arrived yesterday and the day before for our project to begin on Monday.  With all the hoopla in Albuquerque we felt the need to bring them in early as this area is going to be soooo congested with the Balloon Fiesta starting with Mass Ascension at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow.  Sarah and Evangeline are on their way - it's going to be a weekend to remember for all time.  Wayne and I had this on our bucket list for 3 years....... RV crazy? :)

Camp Oro Quay - 1st month completed

Our first project month at Camp Oro Quay just outside of Albuquerque, NM (Sandia Park) is complete.  Now we are eagerly awaiting our second project month - October.  This past month included the men retiling the girls dorm bathroom and framing out windows and doors in the main dorm buildings/chapel.  The women stained and painted wood stalls/cabinets in same bathrooms, pruning of fruit trees, dividing flower bulbs in flower beds and moving to bare beds, and sewing of animal cage covers to be used for show & tell days in the public schools.  While the youth camps are over for the summer, just about every weekend are retreats of some kind.  I personally am really looking forward to a quilt retreat the end of October - what an added bonus.  Our month with John & Sherry Davidson and George & Nancy Reid was so much fun.  They enjoyed stories about the South from us as much as we enjoyed learning the MidWest Ways.  They are terrific and fun Sluff players.  Honestly they have shown Wayne & I just how much spicy heat a stomach/throat can really endure!

John & George framing out a picture window

Nancy painted, the men retiled

L to R:  Nancy & George Reid,

John & Sherry Davidson,

Gail, Evangeline & Wayne Fieler

Enjoying the beautiful weather.

New Mexico has provided much entertainment in the way of sightseeing for all three couples as well as a steady dip in temps during the month.  We are now needing to take the chill off in the mornings with the space heater and wearing warmer clothing soon shedding by noon when the sun quickly warms things up.  Since our last post we have visited the Balloon Museum, biked in Santa Fe through downtown on to the rail yard, hiked parts of the Petroglyph National Monument; peered over the Sandia Crest (2 miles high), and attended the Annual Pinto Bean Festival in Moriarty (yes, really)!  Now we are contemplating beefing up our walking workouts so that we can tackle the 14.5 mile hike from the Sandia Crest to the bottom of the mountain.  First we will take the tram up the mountain and hike back down.  Next week is the Annual Balloon Festival in Albuquerque, can't wait and will post pics of that later.

The field where the balloons will ascend next week

Aspen starting to turn colors

Sandia Mountains

One of the highlights of this month was our granddaughter, Evangeline, came to visit with us for 10 days while Sarah & Vince took a hiatus before the next baby girl arrives.  We found out how small our rig is with a 2 yr. old aboard but memories to last a lifetime.  Evangeline greeted Mercy the cow, the donkey and baby calf each morning after making sure the windmill still existed right outside her "bedroom" window.  We took her to the Bio Park near the zoo to feed ducks and swing for at least 1 hr.  She enjoyed the Pinto Bean Festival "so so" BUT the bounce house at the Fall Festival at our host church was the bomb!  We asked the bounce house monitor if she was too young to go in and he quickly pointed out that another child inside was only 18 months old.  When the wind whipped up and the monitor asked everyone to get out, we had to send a small sized adult in to get her out - she was determined this was her very own special playhouse!  Halarious.  Later we asked her mom and dad if they had ever put her in one, oh yes, SHE LOVES BOUNCE HOUSES!  Evangeline took her first hayride with G'pa and can you guess how long it took for her to fall asleep on the way home?  Less than 5 min.!  Fresh air and bouncing will do it every time.

Evangeline swingin, swingin, and swinging!  Ready to go - NO!

hayriding with my g'pa

g'parents wear me out!

What can I say about the existence of NO HUMIDITY?  My skin is shriveling up, my lips and eyes feel like sandpaper and I really need to buy stock in Bath & Body Works because I can't put on enough lotion to make my skin not feel like alligator hide.  So far my nose has not bled but it won't be long.  We have also experienced what "arroyos" are for.  The other day I heard thunder and what I thought was heavy rain, looked outside the bedroom window of the RV and there was a 2 lane river within 20 ft. from the back of the rig.  When they say flash floods possible you best not be in a arroyo.  Scarey to say the least because it may not be raining around you but you or your vehicle could be in water in a matter of just a few min. because of runoff from nearby mountains.  The next day it was almost dry as a bone, crazy.

arroyo moving behind the RV

Ok, now we have had the RV aligned and new tires mounted.  Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Valentines Day, Happy Birthday, Merry Thanksgiving, Happy Columbus Day for the next 10 years!  Good grief.......and to think we will probably have to put on at least one more set of tires before we really retire.  Oh well, it's only money a good friend, Donna Crotts, told me one time!  These tires are taking me places I never dreamed existed and places to serve beyond my imagination. RV crazy or what?!  We are and we don't care!

Normal? Maybe where you live!

First you buy the chili's (mild or hot) - not a few in a poke, but a box full - as in at least one bushel.

Put them in a roaster or have your neighborhood grocery store do it for you.  Do the hokie pokie and turn yourself around - that's how you prepare your chili's in August in New Mexico for the upcoming year.

Detach skins and remove seeds, then either freeze in ziploc bags or eat.  Hotter than you can imagine but these New Mexico people eat them in soup, omelets, stuffed, as a condiment on a sandwich, the possibilities are endless!  Considering how hot they are, I wonder if they are putting them in their gas tanks!

A New Mexico water tower or an oversize golf ball?

Now that's what I call a big sunflower - enough seeds for one entire baseball team!

Just catching a few New Mexico normalities........what's your norm?  RVcrazy, or what?

Camp Oro Quay in Sandia Park, NM

After traveling through Oklahoma City and Amarillo we landed in a small town just over the border in New Mexico, Tucumcari.  This town is so very interesting as it primarily exists only because it is on Old Historic Route 66.  We stayed 2 nights and rode our bikes through this town awed by the 40+ hand painted murals and the windmill constructed at the Wind Research Center at the local community college.  If you can pull up information on how one is constructed and erected you will be amazed.  Just outside of Amarillo, TX we encountered approximately 50 miles of windmills all along the north side of I-40.  The cost of just one must be phenomenal - can't image 50 miles worth.

One of 40+ murals in Tucumcari, NM

Windmill at Wind Research Center in Tucumcari, NM

One week finished at Camp Oro Quay in Sandia Park, NM just outside of Albuquerque - 2 to go!  The men are retiling the boys bathroom in the boys dorm and the women have been pruning fruit trees, staining stalls to go back into the bathroom once the men finish the tiling project and working in various flower beds to divide bulbs and replant in new locations.  This camp is obviously finished as far as summer camps, now they are catering to schools for orientation days off campus and various weekend retreats.  The camp is definitely Southwestern flair with a western town for events and chuck wagons.  Animal hosts include chickens, goats, cows, pigs and of course donkeys for gold digging events! This camp is currently being operated by a second generation family.

John Davidson and Wayne laying tile

working in the flower beds

This coming Friday we will be meeting Sarah, Vince and Evangeline in Gallup, NM to pick up Evangeline so that she can experience camp for one week while her Mom & Dad have a much needed vacation before baby sister gets here in the dead of winter!  Then the first weekend in October will be the Annual Balloon Festival here in Albuquerque - from what we have been told words cannot describe the event.  Stayed tuned for pics.

We have also been able to ride our bikes the past 2 weekends along the Rio Grande River.

Would you believe we crossed over the river here with our horses?  You're right we did not!  RV crazy?!

Temps are getting lower at night and today we experienced hail & rain.  Winter's comin'.......hopefully  the next blog post will not include any other precipitation!  Till then.......