Final "Bon Voyage"

The RV is parked up in it's new winter home in Anderson - just south of Redding in California, and now I am finally home in New Zealand after some minor holdups with storms in San Francisco delaying my departure from there. So "bon voyage" to the United States for this year.

The funeral for Brenda's Dad was held on Thursday last week - so I unfortunately missed that. However, Carl's final "bon voyage" was a memorable service attended by a crowd of around 90 of his friends, family and work colleagues.

In Loving Memory Of
Carl Henry Philip
21 November 1937 - 1 September 2017

Both Brenda and I would like to extend our many thanks and best wishes to all those people that have passed on their condolences and kind thoughts to us in the past couple of weeks.

Although this tragic event has cut short our trip this year, we are thankful for the time that we did so enjoy here in the US. We didn't get to do everything we planned - but that's life - and what we did get to do was really great.

We will be planning more trips to the US in the next few years - I am sure!

Going home - but not by train!

After leaving Sante Fe we headed north-west up onto the Colorado Plateau and stopped for a couple of nights at a place called Chama in New Mexico - but close to the Colorado state line. We only picked this town because it had a good looking RV park and was mid way between Sante Fe and our next big stop at Mesa Verde.

We scored a great campsite next to the river with our own deck overlooking the water - very nice:

Parked up with some tall trees for shade

And the view from our deck overlooking the river

Our neighbours (Linda and Harry) spend their summers out here at Chama.

Here we are with Linda and Harry having a few evening drinks around the campfire

Now Linda and Harry are into trains, and Chama has a world reknown original set of steam trains that have been lovingly restored and are available to the public to ride on as part of the old Denver to Santa Fe rail line that used to carry the ores and mineral wealth of Colorado to the markets in the south. Linda works in the ticket office and Harry is the fireman on one of the trains. Here are some pics.....

Harry giving Brenda a tour around the engine cab

Working up a head of steam

Now connected to the coaches and ready to roll

So, if you are ever in New Mexico, or just love a good steam train ride, then we would thoroughly recommend a day out on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Rail train. Many thanks to Linda and Harry who made this surprise unplanned event one of the true highlights of our trip.

I took lots of video on this trip - mainly because I knew that Brenda's Dad (Carl) would love to view it all. He's also a train nut.

Sadly, in less than 24 hours of completing our train ride, we learnt that Carl had passed away (peacefully in his sleep) in the early hours of Friday morning (1 September). He had suffered from heart issues for some years and we suspect that his heart just gave up. Brenda immediately booked tickets for home and is now at Los Angeles awaiting her long haul flight back to NZ. She should get home on Monday morning.

I cannot accompany her as I need to get the motorhome back to the west coast and put into storage. I hope to then get a flight back to NZ myself, but will probably miss the funeral.

So our trip planned for three months here in the USA has come to an early stop as we head for home to be with the family.

We have so enjoyed our brief time here on this trip and I don't doubt that we will be back again soon. I will do a final update of the blog when I get back to NZ in the next couple of weeks.

The "Holy Faith" of New Mexico

Santa Fe ("holy faith" in Spanish) is both the capital city and the jewel in the New Mexico crown. We briefly visited here back in 2010 - but this time we planned to stay for four nights and get a good look around. What a great place!

We love the adobe architecture that dominates Sante Fe. Traditional adobe brick (before it is plastered over) is made from earth mixed with an organic substance such as straw or even dung. I doubt that many of the modern structures in Santa Fe are built that way, but the look is emulated very well. All the downtown galleries, local shops and even many of the federal buildings are built with the ochre coloured plaster exteriors, flat roof and deeply recessed windows that characterise the adobe look. Here are some samples:

Brenda standing in the shade outside the Georgia O'Keeffe Art Gallery

So in the last couple of days we have walked the streets of downtown Santa Fe, we have visited untold numbers of art galleries, jewelry stores and boutique clothing outlets. The wallet is a lot lighter now!

The centre of town is dominated by the plaza with many street artisans, cafes and shops lining the square. Here are some pics:

Brenda chatting to one of the street artisans alongside the Plaza square

Local artists peddle their wares in the shade of the verandas surrounding the square

Other prominent landmarks include.....

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assissi

The Santuario de Guadalupe, built in 1777 - and still looking great

The Farmers Market - selling everything from produce to art

Brenda checking out the heirloom tomatoes inside the covered part of the market

Artisans and their varied artworks abound in Sante Fe. We visited many galleries and were very impressed with the range and quality of the works on display.

Even a public restroom can be a work of art!

The range of shopping options is immense. From cheap and colourful.....

.....like this range of garden ornaments, strands of dried chilli, and locally made rugs......

.... to this less colourful but more expensive Chinchilla fur coat (a bargain at $25,000)!

Sadly our time in this great city is coming to an end. Tomorrow we head west on our way to visit the Mesa Verde National Park with a stop first at a nice looking RV resort outside of Chama - in the very north of New Mexico.

If you haven't ever been to New Mexico (this land of enchantment) but you are lucky enough to do that some day - then make sure you visit its beautiful capital city - Santa Fe.

New Mexico - Land of Enchantment

We have finally left the Lone Star State. Texas is behind us as we cross the State line into New Mexico. "Land of Enchantment" - according to all the road signs as we cross the line. Actually it's a well deserved description. Brenda and I love the isolation, subtle colours and vastness of the deserts. We also like the imposing and dramatic splendour of the mountains. New Mexico is one of the few US States that has that great balance between desert and mountain terrains - truly enchanting!

Our home for four nights is at the Santa Rosa Lake State Park, located about 10 miles north of the town. It is beautiful, isolated and very peaceful.

Brenda reclining in the covered picnic table facilities providing for every campsite

Of course if you are cunning and park in the right spot - the awning can be extended to increase the area of shade

Our last four stops, as we crossed Texas, have been in cities - Amarillo, Wichita Falls, Waco and Austin. So the beauty, isolation and quiet of our campsite here is a very welcome change.

From our campsite we have a view over Santa Rosa Lake towards a backdrop dominated by huge mesas - the eroding rock formations so characteristic of the Colorado Plateau. We are not truly up on the Colorado Plateau yet - we have about another 100 miles to go and at least another 2000 feet to climb.

A panoramic view of Santa Rosa Lake from the State Park we are camped in

We have hiked some of the trails around the lake. It is amazing how many small and pretty coloured flowers bloom in the desert here. Lots of cactus too. And rocks split into slate like formations from weather erosion.

Split rock forms the banks of the Lake

Brenda crossing the rocks to reach the Lake edge

We have also scooted down the hill into town. There is not much to the town of Santa Rosa. Some small stores, gas stations and a couple of diners. We did enjoy a Chicken Fajita Omelette in one of the diners. It was big enough to share between the two of us.

We have one more day to relax at the State Park here, and then we head off to our next stop in Santa Fe. We are both looking forward to revisiting this great place. Santa Fe is home to one of the country's largest art markets. When we were last there in 2010 we only had a day and a bit to explore. This time we are staying for 4 days. With over 300 art galleries and dealers to view - it still won't be enough time. We picked up some nice art last time we were here and I am sure we will be adding to the collection!

Get your kicks, on Route 66

The famous Route 66 passes through Amarillo. The "Will Rogers Highway" or "The Mother Road" as it is also known - runs almost 2500 miles from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica in California.

About a mile of downtown Amarillo (maybe 5 city blocks) of the old Route 66 has been preserved close to the original. This strip houses a few bars, cafes and lots of touristy antique shops and other oddities. We had to cruise by. Not in a pink Cadillac or on a chopped Harley - just our trusty scooter with us wearing stars and stripes Bandanas (just kidding about the head wear).

About halfway across the Texas panhandle, this city of over quarter of a million souls looks a little past it's prime. Obviously an important rail head and cattle market in it's day, the urban landscape is now dominated by disused rail yards, crumbling warehouses, and enormous empty car parks sporting more weeds than concrete. Amarillo still has some significant food production industries and is also home for the USA's primary nuclear weapon assembly plant. Not sure that will make me sleep too soundly tonight!

So yesterday we scooted into downtown to visit the Polk St Market. Brenda could not resist that salty/spicy palate of hers - and had to buy some spicy pretzels. Of course I had to proffer a second opinion!

Polk St Market

From there we headed off to the Sunset Art Centre - home to over 55 different galleries and a sculpture garden. We cruised around for an hour or so and met and talked to a number of the local artists. Many of them paint (or create) in a large open-plan studio where they can get feedback from fellow artists. Then they display their finished art in one of the galleries.

An open-plan studio with many works in progress

One of the many great bronze statues in the sculpture garden

After a quick light lunch we headed off to find the Jack Sizemore RV Museum. The exhibits inlcude many old RV's that have been lovingly restored and quite a few old Harleys (and some newer models too). So a must-do place for me to visit!

I thought our camper was well travelled - but this old Airstream has certainly been around!

And this is another classic. If you have seen the Robin Williams movie "RV" - then you may recognise this old bus that was used by the "Gornike" family who they kept bumping into on their travels.

Today, being a Sunday, not much was open. However we did manage to get out to "The Big Texan" for lunch. This is the place that sells 72 ounce steaks which if you can eat within an hour - come free.

Brenda posing next to the scooter, outside the restaurant

An inside shot of "The Big Texan"

OK - I know you want to see what a 72 ounce steak looks like. So I had to order one. Nah, just kidding, they cost $72 bucks and I would only order one if I seriously wanted to risk a coronary trying to finish it all in 60 minutes - which I don't. But here is what one looks like....

On a very large platter, on ice, ready to be cooked for the next sucker to try their luck!

Actually I have seen one of these steaks eaten in the one hour time limit. A fantastic (or perhaps utterly stupid) achievement- especially as the steak comes with a baked potato and a side of veggies and a bread roll - and you guessed it - all of that lot has too be consumed in the 60 minutes!

I have followed the bike riding travels of an English motorbike enthusiast called Henry Cole. He produced many travelogues of his adventures biking across the USA, the UK, Europe, Asia and even little old New Zealand. Of course he had to bike all of Route 66 on a custom Harley. So it was, that back in 2004 he and his cameraman stopped at The Big Texan for lunch. Henry (being older and wiser) resisted the temptation. But his younger and more reckless cameraman couldn't resist. I recall that he made it with about 15 seconds to go and was extremely ill for the next two days!

Not Falling in Wichita Falls!

Wichita Falls is a city of slightly more that 100,000 souls that owes its prosperity to the riches made from flour milling, railroads, cattle, banking and oil. It is named after the original falls on the Wichita River that were destroyed by floods in 1886. Almost 100 years later, the City built the man-made falls in Lucy Park. 

So we have parked up the motorhome in Lucy Park to admire the new falls. 

Parked up in Lucy Park - not another camper in sight!

Of course the falls aren't running because of construction works! 

Never mind, we have been to Wichita Falls before (back in 2010) and here is a pic we took on that trip of what the falls look like when they are operating...

3500 gallons per minute run over these falls (hopefully they collect it again - as Texas cannot afford the water)!

Talking about water problems - I hear that all the public golf courses in Arizona are being repurposed due to a lack of the water needed to maintain them. We carry golf clubs in the RV and were looking forward to fitting in a few rounds as we head west - but maybe not in Arizona!

Getting back to Wichita Falls - I see that the City is seeking funds to rebuild and restore the city centre. Which it really needs to do - it's very rundown and desolate. Another example of the way that the big box-store strip malls have ripped the guts out of the downtown area - unfortunately a common problem across much of America. It's nice to hear that this city is planning to fight back.

We left Wichita Falls this morning and have headed north-west towards Amarillo. On our way we passed through many small towns - one called Quanah on highway 287. We stopped here for fuel (gas for the coach and coffee for me)! The coffee we got from a small roadside shack called "Nectar Donuts". And very aptly named it is! The donuts were to die for - the best I have ever tasted - and I have tasted a few. 😁

Two donuts, six donut holes and a takeaway coffee - all for $3 - that's what I call great value!

After refuelling, we continued our journey north-west. With no nearby State Parks, we are now parked up at the Wonderland RV Park close to downtown Amarillo. It has 83 sites and most are occupied by permanent residents. Here is a pic:

We are here for three nights - so we have two whole days to explore what Amarillo has to offer. This includes a famous eatery on Route 66 called "The Big Texan" where they serve 72 ounce steaks - that is over 2 kg of meat! And it is yours for free - if you can finish it within an hour. I suppose I could order (and pay) for one of these and take what I couldn't eat away in a "doggy bag". I could dine on that for the next 3 weeks.

I have to at least go and have a look. Will keep you posted!

Highway to Waco

Driving up Interstate 35 from Austin to Waco was an experience! Mostly some really great road - spoiled by about 20 miles of bone-shaking roadworks where the passenger side of the coach is about a foot from a concrete wall and the driver's side mirror feels like only a foot away from the mirrors on an endless stream of 18 wheelers passing by at 60 plus mph! I think I aged 10 years by the time I got to Waco.

By contrast, we got parked up in a quiet campground alongside Waco Lake and I managed to settle my nerves with a stiff gin and tonic!

Yesterday we hopped on the scooter and explored downtown Waco. Home to Baylor University, the town was very quiet as the students are a few more days away from starting back after the term break. Waco is not really a tourist spot. We suspected as much when we looked up the top three attractions and saw that two of them included a mammoth site and the Dr. Pepper museum!

The other was the Spice Market - which sold just about everything other than spices.

Brenda browsing the racks in the Spice Market

Short on tourist attractions it is - but I will forgive any town that is home to a Cabelas outdoor sporting goods store. This needs some serious investigation.

I have never been to Waco before and like a lot of older folks I remember that dreadful siege back in the early nineties  - an armed standoff between the FBI and the Branch Davidians led by David Koresh that lasted over 50 days. It was fatally resolved when the FBI launched a tear gas assault which ended with a disastrous fire in which over 70 of Koresh's followers (including Koresh himself) lost their lives.

Despite its troubled past, Waco looks and feels much like any other mid-sized Texan town. Here are a couple of pics taken on our travels yesterday....

Impressive bronze statues line the river bank

The campus at Baylor University gives much needed green relief to the city

View across the old suspension bridge linking downtown to the northern suburbs (long replaced by modern bridges)

Turtles cruising the cooler waters around a bridge rampart. The big one looked to be about 2-3 foot long!

So we dined in yesterday (after dining out a bit in Austin). Before we left Austin we found a "Trader Joe's" grocery store - very common on the west coast - but a rarity in this part of the US. After cruising the wine shelves, I had to buy a bottle of "two buck Chuck" - a famous (infamous?) brew that our Uncle Chuck in Corvallis Oregon first mentioned to us. Not that it is him that the wine is named after, instead it is the "Charles" responsible for the blend and the very modest price of $1.99.....

A bottle of "two buck Chuck"

When we buy wine made in the USA it's always a bit of a lottery as we are not overly familiar with the wine market here. While at Trader Joe's I did also buy a nice Italian Chianti that was familiar to me and a NZ Sauvignon Blanc - always a winner! (They don't know how to make a good SB here in the States - or if they do - I have never found one despite my best efforts to do so)!

But back to "Chuck" - I wouldn't match it with a good New York sirloin steak, but this extremely cheap Cab Sav actually went down quite well with the bangers & mash we had with it!

State Capital - Austin TX

Austin is the State Capital of Texas. We are parked up at the Oak Forest RV Park about 10 miles from the center of Austin. The RV park here (obviously not a State Park) is very well equipped - including a spa, a gym and a swimming pool! And we have used all of them every day over the 3 days we have been camped up here.

Not as spacious as a State Park - but very handy to the City Centre

So over the last few days we have been enjoying (maybe "suffering" is a better word) an average afternoon high temperature of 104f (that's 40c for you  kiwis). Now that is hot hot hot!

I like to sit outside in the late afternoon and enjoy a gin and tonic. But the ice melts in about ten seconds! And I start melting ten seconds after that! So we hide inside the coach with both air cons running almost non-stop to keep the temperature close to 70f.

We have traveled into Austin, using our trusty scooter, to see the city highlights. Aside from riding around the city and soaking up the atmos - we have visited the Capitol building, the Texas History Museum, several coffee shops, a boot store, and lots of arty shops in the SoCo (South Congress) area of Austin. A nice city. Lots to see and do. Some great restaurants too!

Here are some pics......

A sky-blue backdrop to the tall buildings in Austin downtown

The Capitol building - this is Texas - so it's big (1.2 million square feet I am told by the tour guide)!

Brenda posing outside the Texas History Museum - well worth a visit

Couldn't resist taking a pic of this coffee stop - we have a "Cafe Medici" in Martinborough NZ too!

Inside the famous "Allen's Boot Store" in the SoCo area. An expensive stop!

Where Brenda couldn't resist adding this cute ankle-high pair to her collection!

Our dining experiences here in Austin were good too. We had two lunches out - one at a great seafood restaurant called "Perla's" and the other at the iconic "Moonshine Patio Bar" where they serve southern style food. At the seafood restaurant we enjoyed spicy oysters, super tender Octopus, and some yummy Atlantic Cod. The "southern food" included jalapeno spiced mac'n'cheese and a pulled pork sub. From the sublime to the ridiculous?

What was really ridiculous was a menu item listing meatloaf made from Wagyu beef! Really?

Only in Texas! (I think I might have said that before) 😄

The Lone Star State

Yesterday we crossed into Texas.  As kiwis, we often marvel at some of the things we see and experience here in the USA. Brenda and I will often look at each other and say "only in America!" But the real home of jaw-dropping is the Lone Star State - where we amend that exclamation to "only in Texas"!

We are now parked up at Huntsville State Park. To get here we drove thru a thunderstorm along a narrow road (just one lane each way) with no shoulder. It's extremely difficult to drive a coach that is 102" wide on such a narrow road and keep it off the rumble grooves that they gouge into the center line and the edges of the road. So in wet weather, with poor visibility, I kept the coach at a nice steady 40-45 miles and hour. Any more is suicidal. Of course this is Texas and the speed limit on this narrow road is a mere 75 mph (that's a bit over 120 kph)! Naturally all Texans drive huge pickup trucks and insist on their God given right to drive at the speed limit, at the very least, regardless of the road or weather conditions and other white-knuckled kiwi drivers on the same road.

Only in Texas!

And we only have another thousand miles of Texas roads to drive. Yippee!

But Texas has it's good points. The price for a gallon of gas and a bottle of Corona is about the same - a little under two bucks! Great value. And they have some great State Parks - including Huntsville here:

Once again, we have the park to ourselves with no neighbours in sight!

Brenda was contemplating going for a swim, until she saw the sign below!

According to the information sheet they give you when you arrive at the park - there are 30 alligators living in the lake and they usually hunt and feed at night. Brenda wasn't too reassured by the word "usually" - so no swimming for her at this park.

We are staying here for three nights and then we continue west to our next stop in Austin - the State capital. Haven't been to Austin before so we are looking forward to that.