November 2001 |
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A fairly short and easy drive to Canyon de Chelly. As we neared the National Monument the familiar landscape of northern Arizona/southern Utah appeared - bright red cliffs and large tracts of unpolluted desert as far as the eye could see.
The RV park in this National Monument is FREE - yes NO CHARGE, but there are not a lot of 'big rig' sites. We were lucky and had the choice of a couple of pull-through sites which were plenty big enough for our length of RV. With no hook-ups, we took on water before picking our site and setting up - just unhitch and put the feet down so plenty of time to take a crive in the park. A visit to the visitor center elicited the fact that the south rim is better viewed in the afternoon. Even after stopping at all the viewpoints on the 30 mile drive of the south rim we had plenty of time without rushing, and
Linda even found time to purchase yet another pair of Navajo hand-made earrings from one of the many vendors strategically placed around the rim.
The sun and the temperature both drop fairly quickly and early here, so the shorts were discarded for long warm trousers on our return home. Pretty soon the furnace was keeping us warm as the temperature dropped to the low 30's in the night (See it's not all sunshine and comfort?).
Canyon Travel - Since Canyon de Chelly is sacred to the Navaho Nation, visitors can only travel in the Canyon in one of 4 ways:
We chose the half day tour from Thunderbird Lodge which is situated inside the National Monument and very near to the RV park. Our guide was born and lived in the canyon so had extensive knowledge on all aspects of the canyons. We travelled a long way up Canyon del Muerto where we enjoyed excellent views of both Ledge Ruin and Antelope House, plus numerous other ruins built into the canyon walls as far back as the 12th century. Then our tour took us into Canyon de Chelly as far as the most impressive White House Ruin. (This is the only ruin in the park that can b reached by foot from the rim without a guide). Throughout the tour we were given lots of interesting background information about the Anasazi, Hopi and Navajo people to supplement the views of ruins, petroglyph's and beautiful scenery which was enhanced by the gold fall colours on the trees.
As we had only decided on a two night stop in the park, we did not have time to for the north rim drive which is best completed in the mornings.
An easy 165 mile drive all the way down US highway 191 to Casa Malpais RV Park on the edge of Springerville. The attraction of this area was it's closeness to the White Mountains giving hiking opportunities, weather permitting.
Alpine/Big Lake - We woke to a bright sunny morning and headed for Alpine, before travelling the forest service dirt road to Big Lake where there are a few easy hikes available. As we neared Alpine the clouds started drifting in, and part way to Big Lake the rain became heavy so the view of Mt. Baldy was obscured. Mt Baldy is a sacred place to the Apache so hiking the peak is not permitted. The rest of the drive was a 'wash out' until we got back to Springerville where the sun had been shinning all day. Temperatures in the mountains were in the low 40's - Springerville low 60's.
Fort Apache & Apache Casino - Fort Apache National Historic Site is worth a visit if you are in the area. The museum and the Fort buildings, were quite interesting although some of the buildings were in a poor state. However money has been made available and some renovations are in progress. On the return journey we called into the Casino for the Buffet lunch and a gamble. We limited our losses to $10 each before venturing out over the mountains where it rained and continued raining until we arrived home.
We have not been through any mountain passes since Colorado, so the drive through the San Francisco Mountains was very enjoyable not only for the lovely scenery but it may be the last mountain pass we drive through for quite some time. We stopped at a couple of viewpoints before arriving in Silver City early afternoon.
In 1870 Silver City was formed due to the discovery of silver and is now rated as one of America's top hundred best small towns. The 'old town' has a lot of well preserved Victorian buildings which house craft stores and restaurants.
Gila Cliff Dwellings NM - The road to the National Monument was narrow in parts and winding all the way. The excellent visibility during the final 25 miles made for wonderful views of the Gila Wilderness and the Mogollon mountains.
This is another Cliff Dwelling National Monument, 
but these high cave dwellings were a lot more accessible than any of the others we have visited. The dwellings were built about 1270 by the Mogollon people and have been made accessible to the public by steps and paths along the cliff edge in front of the dwellings. The largest dwelling had numerous rooms both large and small. All dwellings which were occupied for about 30 years, face the sun giving light & heat during the day. The Gila River flowing beneath provided a water supply and the nearby meadows were used to grow crops. On our return journey we completed the scenic loop via highway 35 passing by Lake Roberts.
The 400 mile move to Ft. Stockton was mainly on Interstate 10 making for easy travel. As we approached the Texas border we thought we were in for the same sort of weather pattern we had this time last year, rain, rain and more rain, but 50 miles on the sky started to clear making the journey a lot easier. Since the itinerary called for an overnight stop only, we filled up with petrol, got a Pizza from Pizza Hut, didn't bother to un-hook, just settled down for the night with a film, pizza and a beer.
After another 300 miles on I-10 we arrived at Boerne on the outskirts of San Antonio where we intend to stay for four nights and visit San Antonio. The site has tennis courts so we will have a regular source of exercise, a good idea in the winter as we don't do any hiking at sea level.
San Antonio - This is the nicest city we have visited during our time in the USA. It's more like a European city than a US city which we suppose is due to the "Spanish" influence as this was part of Mexico many years ago. The Spanish imported settlers from the Canary Islands and evidence of their stay still exists e.g. churches.
The San Antonio river winds its way through the center of the city and the city is really built at a level above the river. The area alongside the river is known as the Riverwalk. Bustling, flower bedecked walkways follow the river as it meanders through the city with lots of street cafe/restaurants, shops & hotels looking down on the river. Various watercraft transport tourists & locals alike along the river. There are numerous bridges where you can exit back to street level to enjoy the other delights of this historic city. One such exit leads to " The Alamo", where Jim Bowie, Davie Crockett, Colonel Travis and many others gave their lives in the name of Texas against the Spanish general Santa Anna. The defenders of the Alamo came from all over the world to fight for Texas, perhaps because of the land parcels that were on offer for Texas immigrants. Although Santa Anna won? the battle the war was lost and Texas freed from the Spanish. The Alamo is a must visit attraction in San Antonio as is one of the many restaurants dotted along the Riverwalk. We enjoyed a late lunch/early dinner in one of the many TexMex restaurants at a riverside table. (Having warm weather does help).
Our last days plan to visit some of the Missions in and around San Antonio, had to be put on hold until a later date. The wet weather that had been forecast came with vengeance - more than six inches fell in twenty four hours. Well we had heard that the rain fall for this time of year was well below the norm. It's now above the norm.
Petrol/Gas Price report - Prices have been coming down fast since we left Colorado in September, but San Antonio has surpassed all belief - 82.9 cents/ gallon at Costco (most gas stations < $1). We were highly delighted when prices had dropped to $1.30 a gallon in California, but this price is unbelievable. Worldwide crude oil prices have been reduced and prices here have followed suit. This is the least expensive price we have seen since we arrived in the USA thirty one months ago. I can't remember when prices at home were less than they were six months ago never mind thirty one?
Boerne to Port Aransas - The heavy rain, thunder and lightning continued all night, and was still with us when we woke in the morning. We waited for a while in the hope that it would stop, but no such luck. Wullie had decided to do most of the outside chores during one of the short dry spells the previous evening, so all we had to do today was to hook-up, pack away the satellite dish, unplug the electric and be off. With the water above Wullies ankles these few jobs took longer than normal. When Linda's inside jobs were complete she sat in the truck watching Wullie wading through the water, wishing she had a camera. The thunderstorm type rain lasted all the way round San Antonio and for another 50 miles south making a short journey slightly uncomfortable. By the time we reached Corpus Christi the sun was shining and all looked "hunky dory" for our three month stay on Mustang Island.
We have been settled at Surfside RV & Resort for two weeks already. On Thanksgiving Day the resort arranged a get together for all the RVers, which was a good opportunity for everyone to get to know each other, although most of us knew each other from past years.
Our next three months will be spent relaxing, doing some running repairs, birdwatching, beachcombing, playing tennis or just doing nothing. This retirement thing sometimes forces us into to making tough decisions.
NEXT MONTH: We'll still be here!!
Miles travelled this month: 2,087
Accumulative miles: 65,213
Interesting Hyperlinks:
Canyon de Chelly National Monument
The Historic Past of 'The Alamo'
Next Month