Ahhhh with Corpus Christi and the working girls on the fading horizon,
the Greynomad heads west to the unknown of the Texas west or there
about.
With the key to the city and a gift certificate from the National Park
Service to any 5 star brothel in Nevada and the addition of the camper
of horrors I leave before the morning sun hits the horizon.
San Antonio is the first stop with a stay at the air force base for
the night. Watching an individual using the washing machine with
soapsuds coming out the top dispenser is not a good sign, but I carry
on. From San Antonio we head north to San Angelo where the temps start
from 77 degrees to 96 degrees (34 C) and stay that way for the next 5
days. Goodfellow Air Force Base has a RV campsite right off the lake
and at $15.00 per night how can you go wrong.
From Goodfellow's we follow the road to Fort Stockton Texas for the
night. And I am blessed with 3 young lass traveling on motorcycles to
Great Bend Nat'l Park. Bit of a problem though with major forest fires
ranging from Great Bend north. All of the roads are closed and the
authorities are not letting even the homeowners back in. So the young
ladies are in a bit of a fix but shopping at Wal-Mart was in the
cards. West Texas has had a real dry year and we are not even into the
summer months.
The morning of leaving Fort Stockton I had that sudden thirst for a
cup of McDonalds finest. Having missed the turn to Big Mac, me see's a
short cut through a parcel of land unknowing to me there was a bit of
a ditch. Hitting the ditch and an immediate shift in the camper on the
truck and we hear the familiar crinkle of broken glass in me ear. Sure
enough I did it again, broke another back window before I even got my
wheels wet. Anyway it's Fort Stockton to the Guadalupe Mtns Nat'l Park
for the night. Just another uneventful night with temps in the 30's
and the wind blowing through at 50 knots plus. By morn the winds had
dropped and everyone was amazed that no one suffered any damage.
Seeing that the mountains were definitly not my cuppa I headed into
New Mexico through Carlsbad, and no I did not stop to see the bloody
caverns, up to Artesia where I turned west on Route 82. Route 82 is a
biker's dream with the open country, mountains and the twisty's to go
along with the ride. Through to Alamogordo where Holloman Air Force
Base is located. Seven days will I be at the base Geocaching the
countryside and replacing the back window. The caches have been just
great with 4 wheeling in the desert to old mining camps and State
parks.
Did make a trip back up Rt 82 to Cloudcroft (8000 ft +) for additional
caches. Had one that was a bit of walk, 2 miles one way, in the
national forest where on my return there was not enough oxygen in New
Mexico to fill my lungs with. Being a bottom dweller then popping up
to 8,000 ft does not provide a very good adjustment for this old body
of mine.
After spending a leisure week in Alamogordo it was time to head for
the state of Arizona which promised to be most exciting with a trip to
the Grand Canyon.
Route 54 took us north to Carrizozo turning left (west) on 380 to
Socorro. Off 380 is the site where the US conducted the first A Bomb
test. Which later led to the founding of both McDonalds and Wal-Mart.
Moving on Route 60 will take us into Arizona. While on 60 just before
Datil, NM we pass through huge reflective cones, being part of the
Nat'l radio Astronomy Observatory. Seeing this huge array of mounts
probably spread over a million areas of land reminds me of the movie
that Jodie Foster starred in where she is listening to signals from
outer space. Of course this all could be related to the latte coffees
that Starbucks has been selling to the public for last 50 years. The
last confirmed town of sorts before hitting the Arizona border is Red
Hill, NM. Red Hill consists of one building, that's right, one bloody
building with a red roof. If you blinked you missed it completely.
Arizona is crossed, its getting late in the day and I've been on the
road since 0900hrs and I still have another 40 miles of road before
getting to my Geocache for the day. The cache is located and it will
be the site for the night along with the black box of wine, which is
getting very, very low here, but tomorrow promises to be a new day
with a trip through the Petrified Forest Nat'l Park.
The Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert live up to their name with
awesome natural beauty, I can't believe I said that, and be there as
early in the day to take advantage of the light. Coffee (free) is to
be had if you come in from Route 180 and speak kindly to the young
lass manning the desk at the Visitor's Center. With the kids still in
school, driving through the Nat'l Park is enjoyable. Me thinks I came
across a dozen, that's 12 to you younger generation, cars and the
weather was perfect (pics posted FB). The night is to be spent in
Holbrook, AZ before heading west to Flagstaff.
Flagstaff it is for 7 days of Geocaching in the Coconino Nat'l Forest
and Walnut Canyon Nat'l Monument. A bit of a side trip up to the Grand
Canyon (FB) is not to be missed. Next year I plan on traveling to view
the Grand Canyon from the other side. The only problem here is that
there is only one road in and you have to return the same way out. A
bit of a humbug but from what I hear it's worth it.
Flagstaff can be a bit chilly at night, 28 degrees, but the sky is
clear and by the time the sun makes its appearance it's in the mid
60's. Some of the best hiking that I've encountered and if mountain
biking is your game, this is the place.
Nellis Air Force Base in the mega-tropolis of Las Vegas, Nevada is the
place of rest for the next few days.
Aloha to all,
The Greynomad
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