Wednesday, September 7
Campsite at Sims Mesa Campground, Navajo Lake State Park, New Mexico
When in our campsite, it doesn’t seem like we are in a campground at all.
No campers in sight and no people sounds. Everyone has left this loop except for one couple on the far side.
The crew and I meet them on our walk this morning. The man has his head under the hood of his truck and the woman is puttering under the patio awning.
Reggie stands on his back legs, straining against his tether.
I stop Bridget’s car in order to rein him in. As I’m doing that, the couple come out to chat. I notice they have New Mexico license plates.
Hmm . . . Maybe they know the roads around here.
“Is there a shorter way to go to west to Arizona, other than the 17 miles back to Route 64?” I ask.
The man replies without hesitation.
“You thinking about the road that goes to the dam? Don’t take that damn road,” he smiles at his play on words. “It’s in awful shape. Rocks this high,” he says, holding his hand near his hip. “Yes, you have to go the 17 miles to 64.”
We talk dogs, of course.
Just last week they had to “put down” their 16-year-old schnauzer.
“He had a good life,” the woman remarks. That leaves them with one dog, a deaf Australian cattle dog that they adopted out of a rescue organization.
Of course, they fuss over Bridget and Reggie who do their best to show off how cute they are.
Our campsite is a “reservation” site.
This means we can keep it, only if no one reserves it. In other words, pay day-by-day. Noon comes and there’s no sign of the ranger with a “reserved” ticket for the post, so the three of us go down to the pay station again. I drop another check for $14 into the iron ranger.
Today is the kind of day that beckons one outside.
I set up a kitchen work station at the picnic table under the shelter.
While Bridget and Reggie loll at my feet, I chop up a big mess of celery. I turn six hard-boiled eggs into egg salad, and two cans of chicken into chicken salad.
Having only one storage bowl with lid available, I put the egg salad in the bottom and cover it with a piece of “tin foil” (leftover from making myself a hat).
On top of the tin foil I spread the chicken salad, put the lid on, and pop both salads in the fridge.
Gosh, am I clever or what!
I also peel and cut up potatoes, put them in a pot with a cut-up head of broccoli, and boil. Sometimes I like a plate of taters for supper. I spread some pesto on them.
Bridget’s car receives routine maintenance.
Reggie watches as I put air in all three tires. He’s such a boy. Bridget couldn’t care less about tire inflation.
The little, hand pump that came with the stroller works very efficiently. I store it in the basket under her seat.
“There! Now this thing ought to be easier to push uphill.”
If you’re interested in a stroller for your cat or dog and you read my blog on a device that doesn’t show the link in the sidebar, here’s another link to Bridget’s car at Amazon: Pet Gear No-Zip Jogger Pet Stroller.
There are several, less expensive strollers on the market.
This one is worth the extra bucks because it’s an All Terrain Vehicle. You’d laugh to see the rough places I push Bridget in this thing!
Speaking of Bridget, here she is with her lovey-dovey face on . . . .
Let me tell you about The Rabbit Hour.
At dusk Sims Mesa turns into a rabbit playground! I kid you not. An arroyo below our campsite is the place to be, if you’re a rabbit, that is. Black-tailed jackrabbits and what I call “cottontails” emerge from their afternoon naps and par-tee!
They hop so much it’s tough to get a decent photo, plus the light is almost gone at this hour. This next photo is the best one I could get, using my camera’s zoom.
On the other side of the arroyo or wash (or whatever you call it) is the paved road #527, otherwise known at “The 17-Mile Road Outta Here.”
I have to laugh at the sight of three jack-rabbits loping up the road in a line, one behind the other, equally spaced like impatient tailgaters on a Friday afternoon.
Must be on their way to Pagosa Springs . . . .
The Rabbit Hour coincides with The Golden Hour.
That’s when the setting sun puts a glow on the hills and cliffs to the east.
Not actually an hour, more like ten minutes, and then it fades. I didn’t “doctor” the color in these photos. You can see the shadows creeping up the hill that is gilded with light.
What a lot of folks don’t realize about the desert — you know, those people who think it’s boring and drab — is how much the light features in desert beauty. Almost every night one is treated to a stunning sunset, and sometimes an extra treat is given when the hills to the east are transformed into hills of gold.
Pretty neat, eh?
The aftermath of The Golden Ten Minutes is a softly fading landscape under painted clouds.
My plan is to leave Sims Mesa Campground, Navajo Lake State Park, in the morning. We’re still hitched up and almost ready to go!
Thursday, September 8
What a crappy night last night! I wake up feeling like a week-old muffin stuck to the floor because somebody stepped on it and it’s all squished and . . . . Well, you get the idea.
Usually I sleep easily. I can sleep anywhere, any time, any place. Give me a few minutes of quiet and I’m gone. Off to the land of dreams.
Not last night!
A critter of some kind or other shuffles around the Best Little Trailer. I can barely hear it. Reggie, on the other hand, is super alert. He charges out from under the covers, yelling his head off. This goes on every few minutes.
These interruptions throw off our schedule for the middle-of-the-night potty break. Long story short, Bridget has an accident on the comforter. This means I have to rearrange things so the pee portion is at the bottom of the bed, as we have to use it, our spare comforter having been peed on and awaiting the next trip to the laundromat. Fortunately this “leak” is a light one and only a corner of the comforter is wet and it didn’t soak all the way through, thank God in heaven.
Then, as if to acknowledge that things ain’t going right tonight, my leg starts to ache.
Every mumble out of Bridget has me alert, wondering if I should take her outside. The scent of urine in the air doesn’t help. And here’s that critter again and here’s Reggie having a conniption fit over it again. I toss and turn, trying to get comfortable.
And so it goes . . . .
No way we’re moving camp today!
Instead we take it easy. I wash half of the comforter in a basin with Tide and drape it over the back fence to dry in the sun.
Later, after a snooze in the lounger with Bridget asleep in the doggie bed nearby and Reggie conked out on my lap, I think things over.
We have it pretty good here. Every day is sunny and bright. Cool breezes come up from the lake. Birds singing. No one around to bother us. Plenty of food . . . . Got three more tomatoes for sandwiches, plus the salads I made yesterday, boiled veggies, all kinds of good stuff. We have conveniences like trash pick-up and water-on-demand. The next few days are supposed to be hot and we have air conditioning. Our next camp probably won’t.
Oh, and, not to be forgotten, the shower house I love!
Here it is in the early evening, aglow, a lovely shrine to cleanliness and comfort where I reverently perform my ablutions . . . .
The crew wakes. . . . I hop to my feet, go inside the BLT, and open up the laptop.
A search of the ReserveAmerica website reveals that no one has reserved our site #28 until next Sunday.
Great! This is great! We can stay through Saturday!
I stand in the open doorway smiling while I survey our home.
Hey, rabbits! I hope you like our company!
rvsue
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Camco 5.3 gallon Travel Toilet
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.
First?
YES! IT’S CYNTHIA FROM SAN CLEMENTE! FIRST PLACE!
Yes! And this is a great post, Sue ?
THANKS, RUSTY! SECOND PLACE!
Morning Blogerinos!
MORNING, VELDA! SECOND PLACE TIE WITH RUSTY!
I’ll take top 5!
I’LL TAKE “THIRD PLACE WINNERS FOR $100, ALEX.” 🙂
HI, DAWN… GOOD JOB!
Good decision. The stars are in alignment.
AND WE HAVE ANOTHER THIRD PLACE WINNER! MARY IN COLORADO WITH HER EYES ON THE STARS!
Hi everyone!
Hi, Diane J! You almost made the top three!
WOW! Bridget’s stroller is half price today; good day to link it!
Oh, yeah, love the pics (as usual) Reggie’s little face always makes me smile!
You’re kidding! Half-price today? I didn’t even look. Yeah, pretty good timing…
Hi, denimlady in Deep South Mountains… no, in Dallas Somewhere Magnificent… no . . . . that’s not it . . . . DSM . . . um . . . .
Maybe, Down South Manatee? ?
Or Definitely Somewhere Marvelous? 🙂
Like your cool glasses, BTW…
Or Democratic Society of Montana? ??,,, BTW, you like my glasses 1st ? or 2nd ?? ??
The first. 🙂
I guess there are some people who think Des Moines is Definitely Somewhere Marvelous…. I wouldn’t be one of them, but I’m sure they exist ;o)
I think where YOU are is Definitely Somewhere Marvelous, though!
I never would’ve guess Des Moines. Good thing you came back here and let me know. I need a good night’s sleep tonight and that could keep me awake!
No where near first but at least I’m getting up there.
Tin foil hats…snicker!
Gotta keep the radioactivity out of my head! Hi, Lori… Keep trying. You’ll be first one day!
Sue, you’ve set my mood for this day and it’s womderful! Thanks so much for your continued writings. Hug those pups.
How nice. Love the idea of being a “wonderful” mood-setter. Have a super day, Andrea!
OK, I went back and read the post and laughed till I nearly peed MYSELF. First, the mental image of you with a tin hat on your head … I’m sure it was the gamma rays you were absorbing that gave you the brilliant idea for the stacked salad!! Then Reggie jumping up and barking every few minutes at the sound outside … and Bridgie peeing .. and the sweet scent of pee lingering in the air … I know it’s not nice to laugh at someone’s sleepless night, but I could so relate to that kind of night. When the coyotes bark outside our window, the dogs go crazy and the little one sometimes pees on her bed and then I’m up in the middle of the night throwing her bed pad in the washer hoping the neighbors don’t also get up because of all the noise and look in my laundry room window and see me butt naked at the washing machine. Washing half the comforter was brilliant – you should wear your tin hat all the time!!!!
Hahaha! You’re the funny one today, Cynthia!
At least I’ve learned to pull the curtains closed when I get up in the night and turn on the light…. What an interesting picture … You at the washing machine, butt nekkid…
I’m glad you got a laugh out of this post and didn’t have an accident yourself! 🙂
Hi
So you found the par-tee Bunny Ranch in New Mexico. Funny post. I laughed when reading it and smile when remembering it. Glad to hear that you are in a good mood and happy in a lovely campsite despite HRH “leaks”. Love this post. Happy camping.
Thanks, Marilyn. The “Bunny Ranch”… wish I’d though of that. 🙂
I’m glad you enjoyed this post and I hope you have many reasons to smile all day long.
Thanks for letting us in on the dog stroller. Our dear Zoe is dealing with congestive heart failure, and while the medicine is really magic compared to how she was without it, all but very short walks are not possible. Since the for sale sign goes in front of the house Monday, we hope we can get some more traveling in with her in the time left. She has already been to 25 states and her native Puerto Rico and she is the best traveling companion.
Did you see where the stroller is on sale?
I’m sorry Zoe has trouble with her heart. It’s tough on everyone who loves her…
I wish you good luck with the house sale. May you have a buyer soon. You and Zoe have more traveling to do!
Haha -love the tin foil hat reference and love the ‘golden hour’ ten minutes!
I’ve only recently learned to appreciate the uniqueness of the desert during my visits to AZ. My folks (now just my mom) live at the foot of the Catalina’s and after hearing your perspective, during my visit last month, driving back and forth from my mom’s house and the SNF, I’ve found a new appreciation for the desert……..even in the unbearable heat :). Thank you for helping me to see it in a new light!
Sometimes things happen for a reason so i’m glad you are staying at Navajo Lake through the weekend! I think your sleepless night was the area’s way of beckoning you to stay. Enjoy!
Hi, Jan!
You mean that nocturnal critter was sent on a mission to keep us here…. I didn’t think of that!
I love that you are more appreciative of the desert. I think it’s easy to pass by a location without realizing what it has to offer, especially if you’re on your way to your parents house. What is SNF? I’m terrible at abbreviations, even when I wear my tin foil hat.
Yes, the nocturnal animal…:). If it hadn’t kept you awake, you likely would have left as planned this morning…sometimes the universe works in mysterious ways….course this will only have been a good thing if you have a wonderful weekend at Sims Mesa!!! 🙂
Sorry about the acronym – I didn’t really know what it was until we had to send Mom there for rehab… SNF = Skilled Nursing Facility also often referred to by saying ‘Snif’ (I also just found out).
(Mom was moved to assisted living last weekend…SNF came highly rated but turns out not so much….understaffed and poor health care services….mom ended up with horrible sores on the bottom of her feet, and was left alone standing at her walker that she had JUST started using outside of PT that day and fell backwards. She is fine but due to trip to ER, I asked the ER Dr. to look at her feet and he was appalled at how they hadn’t been cared for properly. Anyhow, we have moved her to assisted living with home health nurse and she is improving)…sorry got off track.
No apology necessary. Thank you for educating me… about SNF and also, more importantly, how easy it is to be fooled into thinking a facility offers good care. Happens all the time, unfortunately.
I’m glad the fall wasn’t more disastrous and that it led to your mother acquiring a new home with good care. What an awful experience for you, Jan. It’s difficult enough to “let go” of a loved one into someone else’s care, “someone” you hope you can trust.
Best wishes to you both. I appreciate you taking the time to write this.
Thank you for your kind wishes!
I’ve been off work this week so have enjoyed having the time to leisurely read your blog and comment. I always read your posts but often don’t get a chance to add comments. The week off was planned but being sick was not so of course I didn’t get to much that I had planned this week. Biggest plan was that I was going to take a couple of days and head to NJ to take a look and a travel trailer I’ve had my eye on for several months. Just wasn’t up to the drive this week. If it is meant to be, it will still be there when I can make the trip…if not, I’m sure I’ll find another.
I’m sorry you missed out on that trailer, Jan. Like you say, if it’s meant to be you will get that one. If not, there’s another one better somewhere else…
Too bad sickness wrecked your time off. One of the wonderful things about being retired and away from all the rats in the race is better health. I can’t remember my last bout with the flu and no more annual bronchitis attacks!
Enjoy this day off from work. It’s been great hearing from you after every post recently…
Just came in from spending a few hours with Miss Mollie and her Chariot in the park this morning. She had some minor surgeries for removal of fatty cysts and removal of a growth on her eyelid. She is still on pain meds but was getting antsy in the apartment so I got her Chariot out and she jumped right in. We strolled to the park next door and spent time exploring. She has a wobble gait and rests for longer periods of time but she was grinning all the time. Now she is sleeping the sleep of a happy puppy.
Love the photo of Reggie exploring and watching his Mama working. Bridget with her wonderful gaze from her throne to her Mama. Life is good and everything has a reason…Enjoy your extended stay at Sims Mesa knowing that life is good!
Deena and Miss Mollie
Aww… How sweet, Deena… Miss Mollie in her chariot, happy in spite of her surgeries, well, maybe because of those good meds you give her! 🙂
I’m glad you got her a car to ride in. Funny how being driven around in one’s car can lift one’s spirits, not just for people… I wish Miss Mollie fast and good healing.
I totally agree with your comments on the beauty of the desert, since I lived in Santa Fe for 3 yrs I have first hand experience. Photography there is also much more dramatic.
It definitely has to do with the light, which I found that unlike forests that absorb the light, the desert reflects it so photos just really are more powerful.
Glad to hear you decided to stay longer, it really does seem perfect to me!
Hi, Diane J,
You explain the work of light in the desert very well. Photographs are more dramatic, often look unreal. That’s why I often say that I haven’t edited the color as some photos must seem fake to those who’ve never experienced the desert.
Wishing you light in your life today!
Hi RVSUEANDCREW, that is a beautiful campsite and I’m loving the pictures and stories to be told. Glad you get to stay another couple of days to rest and soak up the beauty for the rest of us.
Stay safe out there and rock on Judy
Thanks, Judy. I’m happy you enjoy the photos and post.
I’m glad also that we’re staying here a bit longer. I don’t know why I thought we needed to get moving. It’s only mid-September, plenty of time to work our way south for the winter, and what’s $14 a night when it’s offset by many days of free camping?
You rock on, too… 🙂
I’m glad you can stay in such a beautiful peaceful spot. Sometimes things just work out for the best right where you are. Enjoy! Oh wait. Today already IS Saturday…so you’ll be moving on in the morning. Well…I’m glad you enjoyed your stay. Can’t wait to see where you’ll end up next!
No, no… Today is Friday… We have all today and all tomorrow.
On Sunday I’ll pull us out of this campsite and go over to the dump station here at Sims Mesa. Then I’ll drive over to the drinking water spigot and fill up the fresh water tanks and our many, one-gallon jugs.
From that point either we will hit “the 17-mile road outta here” to go to our next camp.. or I’ll be lazy and slide us into another campsite here. 🙂
I hope you have “a beautiful peaceful spot” to enjoy today, Dawn.
GREAT post. Love the rabbit story, the pictures and the story of the Worst Night Ever. I can relate to everything about that night. I have a 13 year old Lab mix. She has begun to have problems during the night and we don’t always hear her. I started buying pee pads and putting them down in the kitchen for her. She has been real good about using them when she has to. We love her so much, so hard to see her age. We are so glad she is still here with us and will do anything for her to keep her happy. So glad you have found a good place to relax for a while. It is beautiful there.
Thanks, Jean. I’m pleased you like the stories in this post.
So you have an aging pup also. Good thing you figured out a way to cope with the middle-of-the-night potty times.
I try to limit Bridget’s intake of water before bed. It’s tough because she whimpers for a drink throughout the night if I don’t let her have the water dish. So I try not to let her have too much, just enough so she can sleep.
Hugs and best wishes for your doggie… Wishing you both many more precious moments together…
Maybe think about doggie diapers at night. I know they can be kind of a pain but I find that Max and I are both less stressed. My little Max hasn’t been right since his bladder surgery earlier this year and has many accidents now. I have taken to using a belly band (with suspenders else he manages to wiggle out of the belly band)…just a thought. Now he goes to the door and barks to tell me he needs to be changed. I almost think he prefers using them to going outside especially on rainy days.
I appreciate the suggestion. I hate to start that. I’ve learned with Bridget that once a start is made, she insists on continuing it. It would be diapers from here on. As it is now, her accidents are rare enough that we can cope.
You are so good to your Max.
I hear you on that…Sometimes I wonder if that is Max’s issue….starting something that he prefers.
Didn’t really mean to be giving advice :). I know only you know how much you want to handle and what’s best for your ‘kids’. I know how hard it is to watch our ‘kids’ get older and have these issues…and you like I, just wash out the comforter (or in my case the floor), make the best of the situation and most importantly make sure they are comfortable 🙂
When my Tate was still with me, I found some waterproof mattress protectors (about 4×4). I would put them under where he slept so that if he had an accident in his sleep it didn’t leak through to the mattress. They are cotton on one side and protective coating on the bottom side. I would put one under the comforter he slept on. I still had to wash the comforter but the pads kept the mattress underneath dry as that was harder to clean.
I tried a protector. Didn’t work. Bridget slept on it just fine as long as her hind end was off of it.
Sue, do you think she would use a puddle pad on the floor?
Thanks for the suggestion, Velda. This house of ours is so tiny a puddle pad would be under my feet when I get up to go. Actually the main reason is Bridget would need me to lift her off the bed onto the floor. As Bridget has aged and isn’t as nimble as a pup like Reg, she doesn’t like to jump down from the bed. She crashes into the other side of the aisle. I don’t like her jumping down by herself anyway, due to her spindly legs and the chance of twisting that old leg injury.
If I have to lift her down, I might as well take her outside.
I was thinking of times when you hear something near the house and aren’t sure whether it’s a bear or a mouse and might want to wait for daylight but she can’t wait. 🙂
Truly beautiful photos, Sue! Thank you for showing us how the light plays with the colors of the beauty around you in the evening. Those golden ten minutes are truly magical. But then, this spot in New Mexico seems to have magic qualities.
Tin foil hat, huh? Reminded me of first grade way back when Cuba was threatening the US with missiles, and we were taught to get under our desks! If only the school system had thought of tin foil hats too! Art and nuclear safety all in one project.
HRH Bridget looks so regal in her car. And Reggie supervising your tire maintenance is too cute. Your pups have more personality than some folks I know. So does my Willee!
Luckily the wetting accident happened while you were camping where a bathhouse was located! (Were you able to hand wash in the bathhouse?) And a fence to let it air and dry in the sun.
Reading about your chicken salad gave me an ahnvee for some. I add chopped celery and halved seedless grapes in mine…with a few chopped pecans. I think I know now what supper will be tonight.
Thank you again for a delightful post. Hugs and rubs for pups, and prayers for all.
Hi, retiredcajunlady,
You gave me a big laugh with your line “Art and nuclear safety all in one project.” Hilarious! Put that baby in the curriculum!
I remember crawling under our desks. I always worried that my underwear would show with me crouched like that, wearing a dress. The bomb? I didn’t worry about it, just my underwear.
Wash the peed-on comforter in the shower house? Oh, no! That’s prohibited! If caught, the ranger would go nuclear! You aren’t even allowed to wash things (clothes, dishes, comforter, yourself, whatever) at the drinking water spigot. Water must be toted to the campsite for washing.
I’m glad you mentioned that because, no doubt, others may be unaware of the rule.
Your chicken salad sounds delicious. I don’t have pecans and grapes on hand. I usually have celery or an onion which is enough to make chicken (or eggs) and mayo into a salad. Enjoy your salad and remember me!
Hi Sue, looks like you have found another lovely campsite. Beautiful “Golden 10 minutes” pictures. Sorry to hear you had a bad night, hopefully the rest at this site will go better. Pepper just told me to say hello to Reggie and Bridget from her.
“Hi, Pepper!” from the crew! “Are you as hot as you sound? Hee-hee.”
Hi, Sue,
Once again, you have knocked it out of the ball park–photos, observations, wit, and humor! You are a gifted lady! If I ever need an uplift, you are my go-to person. I needed an uplift today.
The passing of summer is always painful for me. Cooler day time temps, more shade around the lawn, garden harvest and cleanup. It’s finally cool which tamps down the fires in Yellowstone, and subsequently the smoke around here. Funny, the forest fire smoke in the air always reminds me of the end of summer and the return to my old job, teaching. Which I don’t miss too much. Yet, the job used to keep my attention off the waning summer.
I am really, really glad you are hanging onto this camp site for a few more days. It has all the amenities that make for comfort. I am likely to go along with your wisdom to stay. What’s the rush? The Southwest will be there when you are ready.
Rabbits, you say? I believe that might be the solution to the riddle of the nocturnal sounds. Whenever I camp up the canyon south of here, I have rabbit visitors gnawing all night long on the wooden planks I take along to level the trailer. I, like you, were a bit concerned until I found the little teeth marks and gouges I found on the wood the next morning. Just a thought.
Thanks, Sue for your beautiful posts!
Diann
You’re probably right about the rabbits. I do believe the bobcat is still around. I’ve seen fairly fresh scat which I think is bobcat, although I admit I’m not an expert.
A short while ago Bridget, Reggie, and I went down to the pay station to deposit a check for tonight. While there, both Bridget and Reggie started barking like crazy at something up the road, in a way that’s unusual for them. But, even so, rabbits could be our night visitors.
You must really love summer to feel such sadness at its passing. Montana is a beautiful state, although its winters are very long…
Rock, Scissors, Paper. You and your pups by your side are the most formidable of the three. I could never figure that out! Anyway, the bobcat is a shy creature. You would be lucky to see it. It will feast on rabbits (paper?) before considering you guys (scissors). Good night.
yummy…….fried rabbit!!
it was good to see another post from you today……..
I wanted to tell you that I bought a can of Boost to see if the stuff is real…
the can I bought had nothign but compressed air in it…..I lit a match and
held it over the air coming out of the can and it just blew it out….didnt catch
fire or nothing……
its back to being hot here so Im eating pasta shells with maters, mayo, sweet
peas, and a little italian dressing……sometimes add some tuna since tuna is
cheap…..sometime use elbows too……
does Recreation.com charge when you book a campground thru them? I know
you usually dont reserve camp sites……
thanks for your post
chuck, getting fat and lazy….
I’d get fat and lazy, too, if I had that pasta salad hanging around, calling my name. 🙂 What am I saying? I AM fat and lazy. Ha!
I don’t know if your test of the can of oxygen is good or not. Maybe the rush of oxygen blew out the match? I hate to think I searched all over Pagosa Springs for a can of nothing! Oh, well… It’s not like I didn’t have the time…
I think there’s a ten dollar charge when you make a reservation. (If I’m wrong, someone correct me.) And I think you forfeit the fee if you cancel late. What a racket. As if it costs much for the software to record a reservation, once the system is set up. I’ve never reserved a campsite and don’t plan on doing so.
MMMmmmm pasta salad! And fried rabbit makes me think of rabbit sauce piquante!! That’s a spicy tomato sauce served over rice down here!! I haven’t cooked one in a couple of years, but boy does my brother chow down on it! Petit pois peas and potato salad go really well with it. Sue, I thought of you while I made my chicken salad today and enjoyed it for supper!! It is funny how in this heat, I just don’t want to cook…just eat! Y’all have a super weekend!
Yeah, don’t cook, just eat! I know that routine. 🙂
I recently made a reservation and the charge was $10 but if you call the 800 number there’s no fee. If you cancel your reservation, it’s another $10.
Diann
seems like the older I get the more money folks want from me….
the govt has seen fit to give private companies the right to charge
us a fee to make reservations….its really bad at the lake here where
I am……my senior pass should give us 50% off but we only get that
discount on camping and have to pay full price for hookups…
its a ripoff..
chuck
Hi Sue,
I so enjoy the desert photos. One of my favorite places is southern Utah and it’s been ages since I’ve been there. This year Brock and I are heading down to the Black Rock desert in Nevada mid-October for a week now that all the “Burners” are gone. Guess you can call me an After-Burner! Ha! Brock and I like a little more quiet than 70K people camping with us. I hear the night sky is gorgeous. I have to save a week or so of vacation to help with my mom. I drive from Seattle to Bend Oregon and back (800 miles) on the weekends my brother is gone so mom has a family member around. She’s in a great assisted living facility and it’s a joy to know she’s safe and loved there. Anyway, have a great week and thanks for the photos. Hugs to Reggie and Bridget
You’re an after-burner! Clever, Rick!
You are such a good son. That’s a long haul from Seattle to Bend and back in a weekend. You won’t ever regret doing this for your mother.
Words never spoken are “I wish I hadn’t been so good to my mother.” Hugs to Brock …
Love the glowing desert hills, already looking forward to getting back there this winter. Jacks and cotton tails look so different – to me, one is a rabbit, and the other is a bunny :-). They’re both fun to watch though. Staying put sounds good with all the place has going for it – including your nifty double salad bowl!
I found your comment in my spam folder. I don’t know why that happened. Sorry about that, Jodee. I hope you are having fun in my home state. 🙂
What a lovely long post. Great pictures and descriptions as usual. So sorry about your bad night. What a blessing that you didn’t have to get up and go to work or move to another camp after a night like that. Even when there’s pee in your bed the furbabies are still worth every inconvenience aren’t they? Been there, done that….and I have 4 so couldn’t be sure who the culprit was. Be well Sue. You’ve brightened my day.
Hi, Linda Rose,
You speak the truth! Many a morning I woke feeling sick or needing more sleep and had to go to work. I envied those who had jobs where you could call in sick. Well, all that’s behind me now. Thank God for that!
Ha, with four little pee-bodies it would be a mystery…”Who made this wet spot on the blanket?” Four innocent faces. 🙂
Knowing when life is good, and being able to prolong that, is grand, isn’t it? Comfort, quiet beauty of many kinds, sweet critters as neighbors… all that and more make that the right place for you and the crew to be at the moment. I’m sorry your leg hurt, and pray that your inflating those tires and grace solves whatever caused it to. The light glowing in the golden minutes photos and one with the painted clouds is beautiful. That it’s found as precious in the shower house by you delights me. Your gratitude for the luxuries most take for granted in life always does.
The realization that one’s life couldn’t be any better is “grand.” I was thinking of that just the other day. There isn’t anything in the world that I want that I don’t already have or could obtain. After a lifetime of the opposite, I’m very blessed.
Yeah, rabbits make good neighbors. 🙂 I missed seeing them at Kinney Flats.
I hope your life is good today and always, weather. Thanks for another uplifting comment.
You have such a knack for writing….I have always said that! This was lovely post and the pictures were wonderful. Poor Bridget….some time us old gals just don’t have much control. Glad you are staying there a few more days. Looks like moving day will be tomorrow. Anxiously awaiting our next adventure!!!
Safe travels.
Love you Lots!!!
Hi, Pauline,
I mix everyone up with my posts being late, yet written in the present tense. This post ended on Thursday, today is Friday, tomorrow we are here all day, and then on Sunday morning we have to move out of this campsite. Check-out is 2 p.m. but there’s a good chance the people who reserved this site will arrive before then.
Love you lots, too!
As one who was in the ‘the desert is boring’ section… well, I have learned! Thank you for that!
My pups bark at everything…real or imagined. They are not helpful to a nights sleep! Hope you get back on track…
Hugs from Vancouver today… (had to see my eye doc)
Barb
Hi, Barb…. Hope your eye appointment goes well with a good report!
That water and the golden hour pics are just beautiful as always!
Now that you put the vision in my mind about pushing Bridget in her stroller up rough terrain-it makes me want a video of such! HA! Water, gold hills, rabbits and critters snuffling around in the night. It never gets boring does it?! Enjoy your peace and quiet.
“snuffling”… That’s the word I wanted, not “shuffling!” Oh well…
Nope, no boredom here, especially when I have all these wonderful, interesting people, like you, to talk with. 😉
snuffling or shuffling = we got the picture. You keep me entertained! See how much I need to get out on the road! Thanks for all.
🙂
Ahhh, those glorious western sunsets. Makes me wish we were heading out west instead of Florida this year. Ho hum maybe we will change our plans ?
All the time I lived in NY, I never made it to Nova Scotia. Wish I had… The photos I’ve seen of it are gorgeous.
You would be welcome to visit us here in ‘Ecum Secum’ NS. It’s very quiet and isolated. Just the way you like it…..
I really like your trailer. 🙂
Thanks Mick. We have had some great trips in it…. ?
Thank you. One more thing, if you could, please move Nova Scotia to somewhere, let’s see, somewhere between New Mexico and Texas. Yeah, that would be good.
Then you wouldn’t get to see one of the best coastlines in the world….
Oh, bring that, too. 🙂
Lol
So glad you don’t have to move from a great site with amenities! We have Black-tailed jackrabbits that take shortcuts through our yard in the early morning. What you call “cottontails” we call “yard bunnies” since they hang out in warrens under our (overgrown) landscaping. It’s a good thing Juneau usually doesn’t notice them.
Hi, Susan…. Yard bunnies… That’s cute. When I see the cottontails here, I’ll think of that… our yard bunnies.
One of the first signs of rad sickness is not being able to sleep. You really should order a Geiger Counter from the amazon. Tin foil offers no protection BTW.
Here is a link to one at the amazon please feel free to insert your affiliate into.
https://www.amazon.com/GQ-GMC-300E-Plus-Radiation-dosimeter-monitoring/dp/B00IN8TJYY/
Gee, MrLooRead, I appreciate your concern. I went to bed last night around 9:30 and fell promptly to sleep. Got up for 10 minutes for Bridget’s potty break. Slept well until 6:30 this morning, woke up refreshed. Took a 2 hour nap with the crew this afternoon. That adds up to almost 11 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period.
I’m sorry. I don’t give a flying flip about the possibility of contracting “rad sickness.” I didn’t bother to change the link to one of my mine because I’m not interested in selling that product. I’m a tin foil gal myself. 🙂
Reynolds Wrap Aluminum Foil
Snort!!! Now I need that pee-pad!!
Where’s Cinandjules to give a ‘blessing’?
Really, who amongst us does not leak from time to time?
Geezz that math is tough, had to take off my shoes to count. 😀
heeheehee…ROFLMAO…I’m with you and the tin foil.
Very high levels of U-234 and U-238 along with some non-natural rads.
https://www.epa.gov/radnet/radnet-air-data-navajo-lake-nm
How impressive that you can talk about U-234s and U-238s and “non-natural rads” for the benefit of the rest of us!
Now that you’ve educated us, Mr.LooRead, your work here is done. Time to move on.
I am sooooo glad I popped into the blog today to see if there were more comments! LOL I needed a good laugh!! Now Sue, don’t you forget to make those tin foil hats for Bridget and Reggie-Man too, now!!!
Oh, I did forget about hats for the crew! I am so ashamed! I’ll get right on it. 🙂
🙂
🙂
Gorgeous photos, Sue! I love the light in New Mexico! You made me smile with the details of your day…so glad you only had to clean a corner of the comforter. I hope Bridge is alright. Enjoy your time there…beautiful spot & the shower house looks especially lovely!
Hi, Dawn,
Bridget is fine. Thanks for mentioning her. No more accidents since the one I wrote about. I’m glad you enjoyed the photos and got a smile out of this post. Hope you are having a great weekend!
Ninty-six degrees here in Medford Oregon today. Tin foil is good covering from the Sun. It really does make sense to make a tin foil hat now days, as skin cancer is on the rise due to the Sun getting hotter and hotter. The Sun Spots are many and HUGE. So lets all start wearing tin foil hats and start a new fad. The ears we save may be our own?
Good reminder, Joe! Thank you!
Hi, Sue,
I am enjoying your time in New Mexico! The desert is so beautiful – even more so during the golden hour or overcast skies. Thank you for letting us travel with you and the Crew. Cute pictures of the pups!
Scoring that perfect site through tomorrow is wonderful! Once again, you were in the right place at the right time. It was great that a local was able to tell you about road conditions. That sure saved you some potential frustration. 🙂
Tonight I cooked a pot of meat sauce for spaghetti. A slow simmer for 2 1/2 hrs made the house smell heavenly! My #1 nephew is engaged! He asked his girlfriend to marry him last weekend. He had called me a few days before to tell me about the ring and his plans. He was so excited and nervous – so cute! I felt honored and blessed that he confided in me. They are coming for a visit tomorrow – I am so excited to see them! It is so nice to have happy family news. Hopefully his brother (#2 nephew) with be able to join us. For lunch we will have salad, crusty bread, and spaghetti with meat sauce. Lemon bars for dessert. 🙂
Speaking of food…my mouth was watering reading about your salad and veggie preparations! Yum! 🙂
I hope you have a restful night, and that the curious critter will amuse himself elsewhere. Sending you, Miss Bridget, and Reggie hugs from me and Gracie pup! Have a good weekend, Sue! Safe travels when moving to your new camp. 🙂
Enjoy the bunny olympics! 🙂
Hi, Denise,
Your house sounds very cozy and inviting with a pot of meat sauce simmering on the stove. 🙂 Your story about your nephew calling regarding his intentions, his nervousness followed by his excited, happy news, is delightful. How wonderful that you had them over for lunch today. The menu sounds perfect, and yes, you are “honored and blessed” to have a nephew who confides in you.
I always enjoy your comments, Denise. Thank you for your kind wishes for me and the crew. Hugs to you and Gracie pup!
🙂
Sue, a question if I may – and for anyone else out there with experience on this. I’m planning to go solo in the next year and am doing my homework. Since I’m in my early 60s and plan to boondock as you have, there’s that little niggling thought of “what if I have an emergency, no cell service and I can’t drive?” I believe it might never happen but… I am considering getting a SPOT Gen3 satellite GPS messenger. Do you or any of your readers use something similar or have thoughts on the necessity? Thanks!!
Hi, Lori… No, I don’t use anything like that.
BLOGORINOS:
Do you use a SPOT Gen3 satellite GPS messenger? What do you think about it? Is it necessary/advised for a solo boondocker?
Thanks, Sue. I posited the question on a FB boondocking page and got mixed reviews. One person said she just keeps her cell phone with her and even if there’s no signal, someone may eventually be able to find her by pinging her phone. I’m not into the whole idea of “eventually” being found as I lie in the bottom of a ravine with a broken leg. The only way someone would be looking for me is if I told family about every hike I’m taking and when I expect to be back and if you don’t hear from me by xx:xx hours, call the authorities. And if I’m not getting a cell signal anyway, how are they going to hear from me? So, they will find you if you carry your cell phone…NOT.
Someone else suggested getting a CB radio which seems like a good idea on its surface except for (a) the space it would take up (b) having to take classes to get a license (c) battery power to use it and (d) does me little good when I’m lying in the bottom of a ravine with a broken leg. So, get a CB radio…NOT.
I’m going to continue to research personal locators — if only to placate family (love you, Sis).
You had me at “tinfoil hat”. LOL
🙂
I took a look at the SPOT Gen3 on Amazon. Three things concern me. 1. Only 58% of people gave it a 5 star review and the lesser reviews are critical of various from unit failure to poor customer service to cost of renewal combined with them keeping your credit card and auto renewing if you don’t notify them by 30 days before renewal date. 2. The onGoing cost at at least $150 a year to renew, which happens unless you are paying really close attention to the above 30 day time. 3. The lack of recent reviews of the product.
Amazon lists other similar options and I think I would do some comparing before signing up for ongoing $150 charge per year.
I have friends who have the Delorme inReach. So far, no disaster has befallen them, so I have no data on response times. Verizon sells a stand alone system for your vehicle that is like the GM Onstar. Downside to that is you must have a cell signal. If you have cell coverage, you can push the button and a human comes on the line.
Being somewhat risk aversive, I would have something, particularly if you plan on hiking in isolated areas. For the hiking, you’re back to something portable like the Delorme.
Thanks, Allison and Velda. Yes, I saw those negative reviews on Amazon. I don’t mind the auto-renewal but bad customer service I am not okay with. Someone from a FB group also said they had one and it didn’t send out a signal from where they were located. Well, that kinda defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?
I’m going to have to research this further. I want to continue on my venture as long as possible so unless I can find a good option that isn’t cost prohibitive, I may just have to settle for hiking in less isolated areas. Or find a modern day Lassie who doesn’t make an appointment with a therapist when I say “Lassie, get help.” 🙂
Missy, Really enjoyed today’s post and pictures. Couple of things you typed brought back sweet memories. My maternal Grandma was the love of my life. Since I was a small boy I adored that old lady. Your cutting up a “mess” of celery reminded me of Grandma who always used the term when describing her kitchen plans. She would “fry up a mess of fish” or whatever. Grandma used to feed the whole family once a week when all lived in Los Angeles. She used to buy inexpensive cuts of steak and tenderize it with a big hammer made for professional chefs (she did cook at a steel company cafeteria). Grandma would pound that meat and it was tender and tasty when she was through and had given it her special treatments with condiments. I own that hammer to this day.
The other thing you talked about was “tin” foil. I still use that term even though there hasn’t been any such thing in ages. Now, we have to fashion our “hats” out of aluminum foil. During the war we used to save “tin foil” in large balls which went into war commodities salvage.
My fractured ankle is still cast up and hurting somewhat. It’s been almost three months since it happened but I didn’t go to a doctor for almost 2 months. Patience, I know…I know…. Hi Reggie and sweet princess Bridget, you guys take care of our RV Sue…
Sweet message from you today, Jim. You can describe the past in ways that fly me there, right next to Grandma in her kitchen. 🙂
Three months? No wonder you’re fed up with that ankle and the pain. I’m sorry that happened. You take care, too.
Hi AZ Jim, I was just wondering about you, hadn’t seen a comment from you for a few days. I love hearing your memories and stories. So sorry about your ankle, I’ll pray for quick healing, enough of this messing around, you need to take care of Detta.
HI, BLOGORINOS,
Even though Bridget, Reggie, and I made an early start this morning, we didn’t arrive at our new camp until 3 p.m. That’s late for us! It was a long, hot drive.
We’re comfortable where we are now and I look forward to a good sleep tonight!
Thank you for your contributions to Blogorinoville during our absence, and also for your Amazon purchases. You are very kind to us and I’m grateful.
Bye for now,
Have a good night,
Cyber-hugs!
Sue
Dear Sue and Crew,
Thank You!! I have not heard/READ the phrase ‘conniption fit’ in … decades…many decades. This wine and that phrase puts a smile on my face! Thank you! I love words! And you are funny! Crew, too! See you when I come up for air as I swim in life! Did not know THAT is how you spell ‘conniption’! Never thought about it!
Mary B. of New York, Florida, Louisiana soon…to be camping in a Lil’ Snoozy
Hi, Mary…. Great hearing from you!
Oh, “conniption” was a well-used term when I was a child. I guess my sisters and I threw plenty of conniption fits back in the day.
“Lil Snoozy”… Cute! Sounds like a cartoon character…
Well the conniption took me back to my mothers words! I don’t hear it these days but did from you! I can’t remember WHY she used it so much…we 5 kids may have been the reason!!! All that chaos just seemed so normal back then! Ha! Thanks for the reminder! We were going for a Casita, till we got close to the Snoozy…it is not a mainstream, but is gathering a following. We should get it by February or sooner…I want more camper time and less house time…If I had my way, I could stay gone from the house….I have either gypsy or dog in me…well, it is more like dog…
Hi Mary,
Have you had the Lil’ Snoozy long? I did some research on them when I was looking for a trailer. I was sold on it until I found out it was all electric with no black tank. I’m planning on trying out dry camping and so I had to pass on it…
but what a great look it has and so much room. I love the big windows and what seems like an excellent quality interior. Pat
Well, we will give the Lil Snoozy a chance…we are sort of ‘comfy campers’….not too far from the comforts….so we will conserve and see how far that cassette potty gets us! It may get us into another camper! I like that I am full-on facing the TV on a comfy couch. Neck issues! And the wide door and spacious windows are NICE. I like the lean-ness of it. One coffee pot, one elec. skillet and one toaster oven. May not ever break out the 2-burner. Did you know you can bathe from a coffee pot? Sans coffee! Last October we stayed in Cherokee with the Fiberglass campers ‘rally’ and that sealed our decision. Snoozy it is! What a relief after the fifth wheel!!
Hi Pat,
I was looking at the Lil’ Snoozy, too. Very quality built and bright. I didn’t mind the canister toilet but the all electric made it a “no-go” for me, as well. I will be dry camping most of the time. It’s a bit on the high side for my budget but I’m sure it’s worth it for how nicely built it is. I’m beginning to wonder if manufacturers are taking into account the growing number of people who live and travel in their RVs and are considering making full-time models that will be better able to withstand all the use. That has nothing to do with the all electric layout — just me rambling. I seem to be doing that more lately. And talking to myself. 🙂
Good morning, Sue,
Sending you wishes for a great day! 🙂
Saturday I had a great visit with nephew #1 and his fiancé and nephew #2, too! 🙂
As I have been sorting and purging, there were quite a few items that could be passed on to the kids who are setting up households. We sorted through those things. Nephew #1 and his fiancé left with a carload of goodies. Nephew #2 was thrilled to take a rolling carry-on piece of luggage. We tossed several kitchen-sized trash bags, made 1 trip to the recycling facility, and 2 trips to drop off donations. Yippee! It really helped to have the extra set of hands and the voice of reason from nephew #2. On nephew #1’s advice, I took an old laptop to Best Buy to see if they would buy it – they did! $100 on a BB gift card! Whoo-Hoo! 🙂
Sending you and the Crew love and hugs from me and Gracie pup! 🙂
Great update, Denise! Thank you! I’m putting together a new post before moving camp again, so I have to keep this short. Thanks for the love and hugs… I send the same to you and Gracie pup.
Hi Sue, from your reply to Denise I gather today you’ll be too busy for conversation on here. I just wanted to say hello and thank you for your reply the other day with the hope that my current and future life be good. It really is good and I trust it will always be. Have a wonderful day finding a “just right for now” and nice for you three to be in new camp 🙂