San Angelo State Park, Texas

2015-10-20

We are in fact about 3 hours from home, but we had to give it up at about 4 PM. It just didn't make any sense to press on. Tomorrow will be another day.

What a great sunrise treated up.

We had a fabulous two days at Bottomless Lakes State Park in Mew Mexico. There were a couple of nice walks, and a really fine long bike ride. We visited all of the bottomless lakes, both big and small. They really were a type of cenote, similar to what I had seen in Yucatan, Mexico. It looks like the limestone had just given way, caved in and made some large sinkholes filled with water right in the middle of the desert.

Just a little too far down to swim in.

Each cenote was totally unique.

The campsite was nice, and for a change economical at just $12.00 per night. There were hot showers, although they were way to hot for my taste, and the needle jet nozzles made sure that it was a short painful shower. Short because you had to press a button, which gave you water for only about 30 seconds. Still we were grateful to be clean.

Kim standing at one of the lakes.

Tomorrow we will be home and can start reassembling our Pipe Creek lives.

A little friend visiting U.S. In the desert.

Bottomless Lakes State Park

New Mexico

2015-10-19

Interesting sounding state park name, huh? We just got here last night so there are no photos of this place yet, but the one thing that I can tell you is that it is warmer. Last night, for the first time in almost 2 months on the road, we didn't need to use our winter sleeping bags. Yeah! It feels good to be back to the warmth.

A really nice built in display area made with adobe.

Kim's friends house outside of Taos was just filled with A lifetime of collected beauty. Everywhere you turned, including the bathroom, was an artistic wonderland, so I just had to post a few more pictures of it.

Now this is a bathroom I could get into.

That was in stark contrast to the lower planes below her house, which was filled with every imaginable type of alternative lifestyle. Some looked like it was not working too well, like this abandoned restaurant.

A good idea for a restaurant?

We took a trip to Taos to visit the Pueblo Villiage just outside of town. It had an interesting configuration of “typical” Pueblo Indian style homes around a central dirt courtyard. Unfortunately, most of the lower homes had been turned into stores, so it was like an ancient shopping center that cost $14 to get into. Hey, I guess everyone has to make a living. Still, if you were selective I your focus, it made for some great photo ops!

If you squint you can hardly see the shops.

A long shot of the Pueblo Villiage

My artistic rendition of a Pueblo House.

Taos, New Mexico

Kim's friends house

2015-10-11

We are staying In front of one of Kim's friends from high school. This is a neighborhood about 30 miles outside of Taos New Mexico. It would be an understatement to say that this is a alternative neighborhood. There are no electric lines here on the Mesa, so either you do without, or you have solar panels that charge a bank of batteries. Of course we are right at home having our own battery in our popup which runs our lights and charges our multitude of electronics.

You can see our little popup in the distance.

Most of the houses are built of adobe, and they are in a constant state of either being built, repaired or remodeled. There are building material piles everywhere. Some of the houses have a “stopped in time” feeling as they have been abandoned for either financial reasons or, one can only guess why.

There is Some beautiful sculptured Adobe work

Abandoned? Half built? What's the story? Where are the owners?

Fortunately, it has not been too cold, although this morning it was hovering around freezing. Our little propane heater can only raise the temperature inside by about 15 degrees. You do the math. Living in a cloth house in the north does have it's downside.

An abandoned building.

An old adobe church, set. Francis of Assisi, with birds lining the parapets

We are off in the morning having spend 3 wonderful nights here. What great unexpected adventures we have had.

Sand Dunes National Park

Colorado

2015-10-14

We arrived here a few days ago. It is not exactly what I had expected. The campsites are very nice, and mostly shaded, but they are very close together, and the sites themselves are very narrow….making for some car/camper gymnastics. There is no electric or water, so we have to heat using our propane. Still these are the tallest sand dunes in North America. They are surrounded by very high monster mountains. Some of them 14,000 feet and capped with snow year round. Very picturesque.

Believe it or not that mountain on the background in 14,000 feet!

You can see the sand dunes from our campsite. It is deceivingly close looking, however once you start to approach them it can take a good hike through soft sand just to reach them, and then you have to climb up on them. I did that four times in the last two days and boy am I tired and achy.

People climbing on the dunes.

That's us trying to make heart with our feet.

Kim and I climbed up on the dunes on one of those trips. We played just like we were kids again.

Kim making a sand angel

I of course wanted to photograph them by getting some of that early morning light that makes all the valleys and ridges really pop. I got up very early to get first sunrise rays only to discover that the light is head on making them look very flat and uninteresting. There is an APP for that. I should have consulted it BEFORE getting up a 4:30 am.

Texture!

The night before I waited till sunset only to find out that by then the light cast on them was entirely in shadow. Bummer! So this time I was not to be foiled. 4:30 to 6 PM was the window and I made a point of it to be there up on the dunes and ready.

A little sandy art.

I was not disappointed. Hopefully neither will you be?

A final parting shot