A long post about a long trip
From New Mexico to Northern California
Oh my goodness, what have I done? Or rather, what have I not done? We’ve had such an adventure that I forgot to keep up with our journal.
Looking back, I realize I didn’t even write on our most recent journey home from Indiana. In my defense, we just pushed hard to get home after a long time away. And took a route we have taken many times, so there wasn’t much to say.
Now we are in California, and we have had a really good time getting here. I’ll try to be brief but descriptive!
Wines of the San Juan
On the first day, we stopped for a late lunch at A&W in Aztec New Mexico. The old building was a delight to see, and my lunch was the best fast food I’ve eaten in recent memory.
Our first overnight stop was a Harvest Host at Wines of the San Juan. Several friends had recommended it so, although it was a few miles off the path, we booked it. We are so glad we did. We were lucky that it wasn’t too busy, and they told us we could park under the trees instead of in the field. Being a warm day, we were glad to have the shade. And in the morning the sun shone just right onto the solar panels without heating up the trailer too much.
The wine was really good - Tony tried a couple and I had one glass. We met another couple also there as HH guests, who travel in a Class B with their cockatiel. What a cool pet! We chatted away the evening, enjoying the company, the wine, and the beautiful property.
If by some chance I have not yet convinced you to join Harvest Hosts, don’t fret! Wines of the San Juan also have full-service camp sites for rent!
The Dinosaur Museum
The next day we made our way to another Harvest Host, the Dinosaur Museum in Blanding Utah Museum in Blanding Utah.
On the way, we stopped at Four Corners, where Nevada meets New Mexico meets Utah meets Colorado. Tony wrote about that, click here to read!
We arrived on a Sunday, when they weren’t open but I had called earlier in the week and had permission to stay, knowing that we would visit the museum Monday morning. It was quite warm and we didn’t have the benefit of big trees for shade. We gave the batteries a field test, running the air conditioner for a few hours on and off to make the trailer cool enough for sleeping. The night cooled off nicely, and I opened the emergency exit window next to the bed. Doing that makes me nervous, and I won’t open that window if there is any wind. That night it was a great bit of ventilation, though.
The museum was really nice. It had the dinosaurs as one would expect, and it also had a lot of dinosaur popular culture, toys, and movie memorabilia. It was a really nice visit, and then we hit the road once again.
Stunning Scenery
The next day was an absolutely AAAMMMAZING scenic drive through southern Utah. I can see why there are a lot of National Parks in this area. Sadly, we didn’t have time to stop and see any of those. What we did see, however, has us yearning to return to the area for a more thorough visit.
Thousand Lakes
On our third night, we stayed in a campground. I didn’t want to risk the heat and air conditioner too many hours. Although we were getting plenty charged from the sun while we drove. We also were ready to put more water in the fresh tank, and remove some from the other tanks. The Thousand Lakes RV Park was just the ticket. Every camp site has a beautiful view. The staff were really friendly. We took a drive back into Torrey Utah, a small wide spot in the road where we bought a few groceries and some beer.
The campground also has a BBQ joint, so we took a beer to that building and had a really tasty dinner. We liked the shady spot for enjoying our meal, and in the winter I’m sure they light the big fire in the center of the room and it’s a toasty and cozy place to hang out.
Nevada Northern
Next up was Tony’s dream destination of the trip: The Nevada Northern Railway in Ely Nevada. We recorded our podcast from there one of the days: Episode 312 is about museum moochdocking.
Tony had contacted the Railroad a month or two before, and got permission to spend three nights in the parking lot. Lucky for us, they even have two RV spots that have RV electricity! Being really exposed on an asphalt parking lot, we really appreciated the air conditioning during our stay.
While there, we joined the museum membership, and took two train rides. I think I’ll ask Tony to write a whole story about this adventure - stay tuned! Or maybe, he will finish before me. He is much better at this writing stuff.
Girl Camper College
After a fun few days on the rails, we headed west to teach RV Basic Training to a group from GirlCamper.com near Reno Nevada. I love teaching these camps. It is such a good feeling to see a light in someone’s eyes when they understand something they didn’t before, or when they turn on their propane and a stove burner for the first time.
I would be happy teaching a class every week. Do you want to schedule one? Let us know!
More Basic Training
Having completed training with a group of Girl Campers, we once again set our compass westward, toward Clear Lake Campground for another round of training. See, one a week. I’m a happy camper!
We will stay here for training camp, then for a few more days to catch up with friends from when we lived in Lake County. Then we will head east again. Hopefully I won’t forget to keep you caught up on that trip!
