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We are staying at Durango Ranch RV Resort. It’s a ranch that has been in the family for over a hundred years. Two years ago they opened the campground of 19 sites. Tori and Tanner, a very cute young couple, run it. It is surrounded by fields of alfalfa. They put in a dog park, there’s an outdoor gathering place with a grill, a hot tub and a laundry.

We came here so we could get a local mobile RV repair guy to fix our propane heat. It needed a new circuit board and a fuse.

We are going to Utah tomorrow and see some or all of the five national parks in Utah. Arches, Canyon Land, Bryce, Zion, Monument Valley.

We went into town this morning and explored Batchelor’s Loop. A sign said 4 wheel drive is advised and they weren’t joking. We drove on a rough dirt road past abandoned mining buildings and a couple of abandoned miner’s houses. A fast moving stream ran alongside the road the whole way. No guard rails!

Creede is the last boom town. Silver was mined here for years until the US went to the gold standard. Ramona said the silver mined here is so pure it has to be alloyed before it can be made into jewelry.

We’ve really enjoyed our stay here. It’s been cold and sometimes cloudy and rainy. We use propane for heat. A couple of nights ago the heat wouldn’t come on. We’ve been using the heat aspect of our mini split AC unit. It has kept us warm but uses a lot of battery. We have someone scheduled to look at it in Durango on Sunday. We would have stayed longer if the heat wasn’t an issue.

We walked part of the town this morning and met Jake and Ramona, owners of several businesses. Ramona grew up here when her family moved here in 1973 and bought the grocery store. She makes jewelry and is the county commissioner. She also hunts game with a bow and arrow. An interesting woman.

We are on top of a mountain at about 8,000 ft and have 360 views. Here are some views.

May 15: From Bosque del Apache we drove about 2 hours to Santa Fe. We set up on the grounds of Elks Lodge #460, about 10 min from downtown. We grocery shopped at Smith’s and that was about it. Diesel was $4.49.

Vic was still getting over altitude sickness so we didn’t go into town. Luckily for me I was there several years ago with Geri and Charlotte. I would have enjoyed seeing it again and have to admit I was disappointed but that’s the way it goes.

Antonito, Colorado

Yesterday we came to Canon Bonito RV Park and Fisherman’s Club. What a gem this place is. Huge lots spaced far apart. Green leafed out trees everywhere. It’s popular with fishermen but the season starts after Memorial Day so it’s pretty quiet.

We decided to ride around and see the area. We saw a lot of broken down and abandoned buildings. The town has a post office, a police station, a social services center, 2 restaurants (both Mexican-American food) and 3 marijuana dispensaries. Remember marijuana is legal here. Half the buildings on Main St are boarded up. I don’t know how these people are surviving.

We picked up dinner from one of the restaurants. It was the best quesadillas I ever had. Go figure.

Today we go to Creede, Colorado.

There were too many photos to include them all on the last post. Here are the rest.

We were looking for diesel yesterday afternoon. Vic says this really is a one horse town. There is one gas station and it does not have diesel. We had to drive to the next town Socorro where diesel was $3.99 and regular was $3.59.

This is a chapel in this town, San Antonio, NM.

OK, I know I promised birds. We have lots of birds and some other animals too. Here we go!

The Gambel’s Quail don’t fly well, instead they scurry around so fast they may as well fly.

It’s hard to get close to these creatures but if you’ll forgive the phone video …

This wildlife refuge is only an hour from Valley of Fire so we had an easy drive. An older couple has been here a while (we think they live here), long enough to set out some bird seed blocks next to a little tree providing shade. Vic got very excited when he realized the set up and how many birds were coming in for food. He positioned the truck where he could take pictures without disturbing the birds and sat out there for an hour shooting.

Yesterday (May 13) was World Migratory Bird Day and we are in an ideal place to participate. Thank you Linda Tokarz for the tip!

This post is desert animals and flowers.

While we were in Lackland AFB and met Chuck, we learned about Weboost. It’s an antenna for increased internet and phone signal. It sure came in handy yesterday. We had a thunderstorm, not a very bad one but it knocked out our reception until Vic put the Weboost up.

Also called Valley of Fires. We are in high desert country. 19 sites, all pull off with a picnic table and grill and lots of room between sites. There are bath houses or restrooms sprinkled here and there. The nights are cold and the days are high 70’s. This is a boondocker’s paradise. We stayed home today partly to adjust to the altitude and partly to catch up on camper chores.

Vic went out and got some landscape shots.

I took Zoe on a walk/hike.

Then she took another walk with Vic while the vacuum was running. They both hate the noise.

Tomorrow we are going to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. The birding is supposed to be great. Somebody posted that they had seen 70 species two days ago. We’ll see…

We got here at 11 am, it’s only 75-80 miles from Holloman AFB. Cooler temperatures with gusty winds. A welcome difference from the desert! We have site #1, no hookup and the view is amazing. This area is also called Valley of Fire because if the lava rocks. It’s a gorgeous place.

Phone pictures are so inadequate, sigh.

We are going to Bosque del Apache tomorrow. It’s an hour from here. From postings on the internet there is water this year and lots of birds.

We stayed overnight in Stonewall, TX at a winery called Blumont. There were many vineyards, one after another, in that area. So many you can take a bus tour and stop for a tasting at each one.

We didn’t go there to do that lol. We visited my dear friends Margo and Davey, married 40 years and lived in their house for 22. Margo and I go west back to 1975, we worked together and had babies in 1976. We had the perfect day with them, enjoying a chance to reconnect, feasting on first Margo’s banana bread (😋) and later on a Mexican spread. Their daughter Stephanie and two of her handsome sons came by and we got to meet and be charmed by Lily, their daughter’s child that they have adopted and are raising. The tragedy of addiction touches so many families in this country. Lily’s mom overdosed a few years ago, after trying to get sober time and again but sadly she could not stay sober.

I brought some quilts and gifted several of them.

Lily and Stephanie with their quilts

Margo and Davey have a beautiful home but the upkeep is starting to be a burden. They would like to downsize and move to St. Augustine, FL. Vic and I can’t wait for that to happen! We would love to spend more time with everyone, we love the whole family.

We left Stonewall TX this morning about 8 am and now have set up in an RV park ($25/night) with a nice dog park, just for one night (Fort Stockton, TX). Tomorrow we go to Alamogordo, NM.