We need to get out!
After a day cooped up in the Casita, the crew and I are ready for some fresh air and exercise! The sun is shining and the air is cool. Our goal is the marina at Elephant Butte State Park, quite a hike from our campsite.
We can do it!
First we walk up the road from the campground to the main road. I stop and let Spike rest a bit along the way. About halfway there, we take a break at a table underneath a shelter. It overlooks the marina and the lake. After exploring the area and taking more photos, Bridget, Spike and I turn to go home. Unfortunately, the hike home is mostly uphill!
So we take a shortcut up to the main road.
When the crew and I return home, we get a big drink of water and crash for a nap. [slideshow]
Kathy comes over from the campsite next to ours and gives me a delicious dish for supper.
She and her husband live in Elephant Butte. Their house is in the middle of a remodel. They had to get away from the mess, so they’re at the park for a few days. Yesterday they went to Hatch and bought some green chilies, already processed and frozen. The dish she gives me is chicken breast baked with green chilies, cheese, and other good stuff. Wow! Divine! So much for the calories burned on our big hike.
rvsue
Sometimes food is so good that calories really DON’T count. Just take another walk tomorrow and thank God for generous friends. FYI, I’m slowly posting a trip report on the Casita Forum. it takes a while cause I write a lot, just not as interestingly as you do.
Hi, Reine,
Good for you! I’ll be sure to read it. I want to know about your trip as I may go to the same places.
Hi Sue,
Your in my old neck of the woods, Las Cruces. I went to High School and College there. I haven’t been back for ages and I imagine its changed quite a bit. I now live in a park in Pahrump, NV and my friend Larry from down the way owns a Casita as well. I really like the way it was laid out as well as the construction of it. I’m in the process of selling my 40 ft 5th wheel and will be getting a Casita. Having lived in a trailer of some kind for the past ten years before my retirement, it just seemed to fit since I have gotten rid of so much of my “stuff”. I will be trying to travel in between temperature extremes of 25 to 100. I have been an avid hiker but not much anymore since I have gotten “older” and “arthur” (arthritis) rears its ugly head at times,but there are still plenty of places to see and just relish the moments of peace and quiet. I enjoy your blog, its down to earth and straightforward, keep up the good work and maybe our paths will cross one day.
Fred
I hope our paths do cross someday, Fred. Welcome to my blog!
In the short time I’ve had my Casita, I’ve heard from several people who want to downsize from a larger rv to a small travel trailer like mine.
I like your spirit. As long as you can get around and arthritis doesn’t rule your life, you can get out, move around, and enjoy some beautiful places.
Thank you for the compliment about my blog. Take care and good luck getting a Casita …
Hi Sue, I have an RV question (and remember, I’ve never even owned an RV, so this may sound silly). Okay, so you are parked at an electric/water site, correct? A full site would also have sewer (if I understand correctly). So if one parks at a site without sewer, how often do you have to move the Casita to the dump station; is that much of a hassle to have to pull to the dump station, then re-park at your site? Thanks, and I’ll try not to inundate with questions. LOL. Jool
Hi, Jool! Bring on the questions! Someone will have the answers! I’ll try this one . . .
How often do I go to the dump station? I’m not sure I remember exactly, the days run together. I guess 3-4 weeks between dumps. I use the campground showers most of the time; the Casita shower, quickly, once or twice in that time period.
It’s no hassle at all to move the Casita to the dump station, because raising the stabilizer jacks, unhooking connections, hitching up, and backing in are no trouble at all, in my view. Before I had ever camped, before I got my trailer, I thought emptying waste tanks, hitching up, and backing in would be big headaches. Not at all.
Plus you can make it even easier by dumping tanks as you enter or leave a campground.
Jool, some people use what is “loveingly” referred to as a “blue tote” – although they do come in other colors. If one does not want to move their trailer, they can dump the holding tanks into the blue tote and then hitch the tote up to their tow vehicle and pull the tote to the dump station and empty it there. There are a variety of sizes of totes so one can partially empty or completely empty their holding tanks into the tote. Here is a link to one similar to mine (didn’t pay that much and it’s smaller) to give you an idea of what I am talking about. I have only used mine twice.
Again, here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/Barker-Tote-Along-Tank-30-Gallon/dp/B000B655G2/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ba_11
If this doesn’t work, go to Amazon and write in Barker Tote Along Tank.
Thank you, Sue and Emily! I’m learning so much. Have also joined the Casita Forum so I can ‘do my homework’.
Thanks for all the info.
Jool
Enjoyed your slide show. I find beauty in all types of landscapes, from the lush green forests of Oregon (where we live), to the rugged Northern California coastline, to the stark desert sands of Arizona. Have never been to NM but I find your photos fascinating and the landscape interesting. So different from what I am used too but just as beautiful in its own way.
I’m glad you appreciate the slideshow, Donna.
I grew up in upstate New York, very green in spring and summer, vivid reds, oranges, and golds in fall, stunning white, black and gray contrasts in winter. My immediate reaction to the NM desert was “how barren and forbidding!” In a short while its beauty emerged. Now I feel comfortable here among the cacti and the sand and the rocks . . . with these strange-looking mountains all around.
People put down interstates, but I’ve seen some incredible desert vistas while zooming along on interstates in NM and TX.
I want to explore your lush Oregon forests someday soon.
Hi, Sue
Thanks for the blog entries.
I took a welcome break from working on my truck, settled down with an iced tea, and caught up with you and crew again. Sounds like you are just beginning to feel the seasonal change there. Isn’t it cool that if you dont’t want to put up with anything … like wind, rain, cold, or noisy neighbors you can just hookup your home and head for greener pastures?
Hi, Bob,
It is WAY COOl to be able to move my house whenever I want.
Sounds delicious