This is a Blog Post based on our email to friends, sent July 21, 2013…

Hello folks.   Its mid-Summer… and Alice and I thought we’d send out an update on our travels.   As you may recall, we left Michigan back in January to spend a year traveling the country in our Motorhome.    We are six months into our journey and our enjoyment & wonders just never seem to end.

We left Michigan on January 10^th traveling to Alice’s home, Texarkana, Texas…  and then on to Arizona where we attended an “RV Bootcamp” on Feb 1.   After Bootcamp we Boondocked in  Wickenburg, AZ, then spent a few weeks in Cottonwood, AZ (Sedona).   From there we spent several weeks in Bensen, AZ (South of Tucson), and then back to our Thousand Trails RV Park in Cottonwood/Sedona again in early May…  where our Daughter & Son-in-law came out for a visit.

In late May, we traveled from Cottonwood, AZ to Elephant Butte,  New Mexico (on the Rio Grande), to visit some new friends… and a month later from there to Gillette, Wyoming for a couple weeks where we attended a major RV Rally.   After the July 4^th weekend we traveled to Hart Ranch in the Black Hills of South Dakota… a 5 star RV Member-owned Park on beautiful land where the Great Plains join the Mountains.   We liked it so well, we bought a Membership and will stay here until September.

In our travels we have met & made many new & dear friends – seems like whenever travelers encounter fellow travelers… there is a quick friendship bond that forms, and given time, grows and deepens.   This has been an unexpected treasure in our adventures.   We have many new friends now, having gone (or going) their own ways … to Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Indiana, Nebraska, California, Wyoming, Canada… We’ve always parted with a mutual wish for ‘Safe Travels’ until we meet again!

Below are some pictures that we have taken over the months… Enjoy!

Bensen, Arizona…  Day trips for History:
Here are a couple pictures taken close to Bensen, AZ.   The Butterfield Stage (1850’s) came through here… the earliest of ANY scheduled Transportation crossing the Southwest.    Early in the Civil War (1862)Confederate forces tried to take possession of the stops… but Encountered hostile Apache Indians, and never succeeded.

This picture shows the remains of the “Dragoon Springs” Butterfield Mail Stage stop…

This picture is of the adjacent graves of four Confederate Soldiers killed by the Apaches in Pushing the Confederates out.   We had to go WAY out into the desert to locate these ruins & graves.

This next below picture is of Patagonia Lake State Park, a quiet jewel in extreme South Arizona.   Boating, fishing, Swimming, camping, Birding, and picnicking are features here.

This next picture is of “Council Rocks”, a Summer camp area for the Chiricahua Apache Indians.   Here, In 1872, Apache War Chief Cochise signed the “Broken Arrow Peace Treaty”, … Which the United States renigged upon two years later.

Cottonwood/Sedona, Arizona… Joel & Mary visit:
In May, our Daughter & Son-in-law came out to Sedona for a visit.   Joel and I attended the Networld+Interop Computer Conference In Las Vegas… and then we skipped out to the California Coast for a few days, visiting small towns between San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara… I wanted to show our Kids the REAL California, rural, and out in the country – NOT the Los Angeles / San Francisco metropolitan areas.

Jalama Beach, Lompoc, California…  This picture is of Alice and I… Sunset on the Pacific.

Next is a silhouette of Mary & Joel at Sunset.   Click on this Link… Jalama Beach County Park for more Information.

Sedona, Arizona…
Mary, Joel, and Alice on top of ‘Submarine Rock’… just outside of Sedona, AZ.

Alice and I, hiking along Oak Creek (the four of us) with The famous “Sedona Crossings” mountains in the background.

Elephant Butte Lake, New Mexico:
Elephant Butte Lake is a small resort community on the Rio Grande river, with the lake created by a major Dam built back in 1916.   We Stayed at a very fine RV park, catching up with some old friends from Arizona, and making some new ones.   The land is beautiful… And the Agriculture along the Rio Grande is staggering.   Never knew it was there…  until we traveled the back roads along the river.

The picture below was taken in Hatch, NM, at a “Guitar Slim” Blues Concert hosted by “Sparky’s Barbeque” – Great Barbeque and Hamburgers!   We spent a delightful afternoon here with new friends Bob & Addie Fife and Nullet & Sandy Schneider.

After we left Hatch and Sparky’s… we chose to take a mountain back road home… where we encountered Forest Fires along the way.

This is Alice, with our good friends Bruce & Sue Burt, taken at Elephant Butte Dam.   Bruce & Sue are from Saginaw, Michigan… and Bruce is a retired UAW union steward from GM.   They are solid Christians and we made great friends with them…

This is Elephant Butte Dam, built in 1916.   It is on the Rio Grande river, and provides water flow for thousands of acres of irrigated agricultural land for a hundred miles down the Rio Grande valley below the Dam.

White Sands national Monument, New Mexico.
The next two pictures were taken at White Sands National Monument, Alamogordo, New Mexico.   This National Monument is Surrounded by the White Sands Missile Range test grounds and Holloman Air Force Base.   What looks like sand… is actually granulated gypsum from the mountains to the East and the West.

The is a family out for a day of sledding… and it works!   The sleds/saucers are rented at the Park Lodge.

This picture is ‘just a Park road’… that reminds us of Michigan in January.   Temp is about a warm 90 degrees…

Gillette, Wyoming:
From Elephant Butte, New Mexico, we drove 1,200 miles over six days to get to Gillette, Wyoming.   We opted to avoid The interstate Highways so as to see more country… and it was beautiful.   We ‘Boondocked’ the nights on the road, taking advantage of our motorhome’s onboard water, holding tanks, generator, battery bank, LP gas, satellite TV, and Verizon-based Internet access.   Really hard traveling!   We utilized a directory of over 3,000 Boondock sites to Locate places to stay at night… the picture below being one of them – Douglas, Wyoming City Park, which specifically Permits free overnight parking for RV’ers in their park along the Platte River.   That is our Motorhome and tow vehicle.

The next picture is an old Wyoming favorite of Ours… Devil’s Tower, Wyoming… nothing else quite like it anywhere.   We hiked a leisurely 1 ½ miles on a trail that winds around the base of the Tower.

Black Hills Area, South Dakota & Wyoming:
From Gillette, Wyoming, we headed 180 miles down the road to Rapid City, South Dakota.   Here, we had reservations for Hart Ranch, RV Park… a 5-star (Woodall’s) Resort park located exactly between Prairie… and Mountains.   The surrounding country is a real 35,000 acre working ranch… complete with pasture land, cattle, rodeos…    Accommodations at the Ranch for RV’s are among the best we have ever seen.   It is a membership ranch… to stay after the initial visit a membership must be bought – after three days, we bought one (prices are reasonable).

Hart Ranch…
This picture shows the entrance to Hart Ranch.   This is a larger RV Park, with very excellent accommodations.

A little further down the road…just past the entrance…. Showing the Ponderosa Pines that line the park.

Black Hills…
The ‘Black Hills’ are actually a small mountain range that straddles the South Dakota – Wyoming state line.   Elevations are about 5,000 – 7,000 feet, with mountain terrain consisting of rock outcroppings, Ponderosa Pine, lakes, and a LOT of Wildlife.   The park is surrounded on the South by Custer State Park, SD… Home to the largest herd of wild Buffalo remaining in the United States.

This picture is of some new friends of ours… Ron & Cindy Regier.   We enjoyed a wonderful day with them touring Custer State Park and a little of the Black Hills…

And we returned to our most favorite Lake in the Black Hills… Sylvan Lake, a beautiful part of Custer State Park at the 6,000 foot level, that has a very nice hiking trail winding around it, along with great swimming & picnicking areas.

Thanks for reading… be sure to check our Travel Blog at   www.jalhost.net/TravelBlog

Thanks… and ‘Safe Travels’ !

Jim & Alice

 

 

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