Today the winds were blowing too hard for flying, so M and I did a good bit of motorcycling:
We visited the concretion field at “The Pumpkin Patch”:
Shell Reef:
More folks are moving in for the fly-in:
Sunset at the shore:
M and I had a nice Shabbos with the T family in Scottsdale. It was great to catch up!
Last night we drove west, overnighting just east of Quartzsite, Arizona. This morning was cool and clear:
We drove in to Quartzite, RV capital of the world. We’ve visited Quartzsite many times. Every winter something like 100,000 RVs winter here in the BLM’s Long Term Vehicle Area. This time we just stopped in briefly, but most of the vendors left a week or two ago:
RVs for sale:
We continued on to Salton Sea, home of the annual Salton City and Glamis Fly-In, which I last flew in 2016. Before driving down to the shore, we dumped or sewer tanks and filled the fresh water tank:
Even though the fly-in doesn’t start until Wednesday, there are already plenty of pilots here, visiting from all over the world:
Unfortunately, by the time we were unpacked, a storm front was moving in making flying too dangerous. We drove the motorcycles into nearby Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area:
See the trip map for today’s drive.
This morning I left the Walmart of Coolidge, Arizona and went for a run in San Tan Mountains Regional Park. It was odd going for a run in the 60s in January:
Howdy neighbors:
After my run, I picked up M at the Phoenix airport and we drove to Scottsdale where we will spend Shabbos with our friends the T family, last visited in 2016.
Good Shabbos from Scottsdale! See the trip map for today’s drive.
I woke up well before sunrise at the Walmart in Deming, New Mexico. I had some company:
I drove north to visit City of Rocks State Park. We last visited the park in 2011.
This is the view from the approach to the park:
Going for a run:
I left City of Rocks and continued north into the Gila Wilderness. The road was steep and serpentine, but there were great views:
At last I arrived at Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. This is our only unvisited National Park site in New Mexico, skipped so far because the road here is not drivable when towing our 5th wheel RV:
Also visiting today were three young full-timing couples:
I don’t think the visitor center has been updated since the 1970s:
I decided to run the trail to the cliff dwellings. The dwellings were built in late 1200s:
I decided to drive the “no RVs allowed” section of Route 15 from the Route 35 junction to Pinos Altos. The road is so narrow it has no center line and is incredibly steep and windy:
I continued south towards Lordsburg. What views!
I continued west into Arizona, did laundry in Tucson, then continued northwest to overnight at the Walmart of Coolidge, Arizona. See the trip map for today’s drive.
I woke up well before dawn at the Johnson City Library and headed west. As I continued into West Texas, the vistas opened up and the terrain transitioned to the semi-arid grasslands of the West. It felt so good to be back!
A quick photo from the rest stop where I stopped for Shacharis and breakfast:
I continued west to overnight at the Walmart of Demming, New Mexico. See the trip map for today’s drive.
Facebook
Instagram
Email