Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Camping — Albuquerque, NM

We arrived here at the American RV Resort which was only a short (less than 2 hours) drive over from Gallup. The road on I-40 was rough in many places and there were steady winds blowing laterally at 20 with gusts to 35 or so. Damsel took this photo of a 20 knot windsock along I-40 fully inflated.

We arrived and felt road weary from the trip. However, after a Grilled Hamburger, a cold beer and a hot shower, we had recovered from the semi-traumatic trip. We will be here all day on Easter Sunday, continuing to get right with Almighty God and the world in general.

30 Mar 2024 by Retirement Wanderlust

Camping — Gallup, NM

We are in Gallup tonight where the weather is very windy and cool (WSW@20G35 61°F). We are here on old Route 66, but not planning to do any sightseeing while camping.

We have a much better internet connection today. Still, this will be a short blog. We’re here for one night and will be spending Easter in Albuquerque. After that, we continue wandering down to Waco, TX, where we hope to have clear skies for the eclipse.

We will likely post again tomorrow when in Albuquerque.

29 Mar 2024 by Wanderlust

Camping — Monument Valley

We have a crappy internet connection so this will be short.

We’re in Monument Valley for a couple of days. We had an uneventful drive from Flagstaff and got here in time to check into the RV campground and get all hooked up to the utilities.

Stay tuned for more in a couple of days.

27 Mar 2024 by Photography Wanderlust

Camping – Flagstaff

Tonight, we’re in Flagstaff, AZ. Yes, there is light snow falling on our campsite. We got here this afternoon when it was still partly sunny, set up camp and ate lunch. When we went out to walk the dogs, it was snowing a little. That’s about when I took the (clickable) image above.

We had an uneventful trip, albeit there is still quite a bit of construction on AZ-74 and I-17. The traffic was generally light with the usual idiots mixed in with us sane folks.

We’re here in Flagstaff to relax a couple of days and will be departing Wednesday morning on our next leg of our vacation from retirement. The next stop is planned to be near Monument Valley. Stay tuned.

Update: 26 MAR 2024 — We had a little more snow overnight . . .

25 Mar 2024 by Environment Retirement Wanderlust

Green Ocotillo

Our neighbor, Tim, brought us this Ocotillo a few years back. Since being transplanted here, it has flourished in our backyard. This spring, it has a very showy coat of fine green leaves. The flowers at the tips of the canes haven’t started blooming yet, but they likely will do so this summer.

More about Fouquieria splendens:

These peculiar desert plants bring a sense of wonder to the arid landscapes they thrive in with their distinctive and stunning appearance. They are popular in xeriscape gardens and can be found in many commercial landscaping designs in regions with warm, dry climates. Plants are sometimes grown in medicinal gardens for their healing properties.

Ocotillo may appear to be a cactus because of its spiny branches, but this is a flowering desert shrub. When in flower, the vivid reddish-orange blossoms become heavy, tipping the branches and making for a striking display. Pollinators enjoy the nectar and the blooms are like magnets, drawing hummingbirds and flying insects to them when in bloom. If you’re interested in adding more resilient, unique, and pollinator-friendly plant species to your water-wise garden or landscape, ocotillo is an excellent choice!

(From Gardeners Path)

23 Mar 2024 by Arizona Home & Garden

Sunset Clouds & Travel Preps

Damsel snapped this photo of an alto-cumulus cloud formation this evening. We were enjoying a bit of rest after a busy day (and busy week thus far) getting ready to roll in the motorhome for the Solar Eclipse in a couple of weeks.

We had to do quite a number of chores getting things organized and ready. The list includes shopping, preparing the RV holding tanks, stocking the fridge and pantry, washing the clothing, towels and sheets we keep in the RV and so forth.

I had one major item that needed attention; the latch on the door to the RV had been acting up and come to find out that it had a broken doodad inside of it which turned out to be a common failure for this type of RV door latch. I ordered a replacement latch which arrived today and installed it this afternoon. Suffice to say it was a little bit of a pain getting it done, but it is installed now and works fine.

We also did some food prep. We will be on the road on Easter Sunday and we pre-smoked our turkey breast dinner entrée today. It will be re-heated in the RV microwave on Easter.

We’re looking forward to the excursion and I’m sure all the preparation activities will have made the effort worth it in the end. We will report on our trip progress as we arrive at our various destinations.

20 Mar 2024 by Arizona Notions Wanderlust

St. Patrick’s Day 2024

Just a quickie to wish everyone a Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Damsel and I celebrated with a traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner served with low-carb veggies. She also made a “Luck of the Irish” cocktail for good measure.

We hope y’all had a nice feast as well.

17 Mar 2024 by Holidays

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