Albuquerque Old Town

Carmel and her sister Margie in the old town square.

San Felipe De Neri Church - 1706

Santa Fe Art Walk

Every time we are in Santa Fe, we have to walk Canyon Road, a mile of art galleries. One of my favorites is the Meyer Gallery, where each year I am reminded of how totally void of artistic talent I really am. Santa Fe, well worth a few days visit for the art and the great New Mexico food.

Overnighting At A Roadside Pull Out Southwest Of Chama

We found a great pullout at a high elevation southwest of Chama. We watched the sun go down while a herd of elk entertained us in a valley below.  Carmel made our dinner and we had a picnic while enjoying the sounds and the views. I really love this northern New Mexico country.

Chama, New Mexico

My favorite town in New Mexico is Chama. It's a small town but there is just something about the town I like. Most people know it as the place where you board the Cumbres & Toltec Train that runs into Colordo. But, the town is much more than that. The area around Chama is filled with wildlife and there are great lakes in the vicinity.www.cumbrestoltec.com

A Pullout For the Night Somewhere in Southern Colorado

We found this nice pull out for the night. I enjoy these more than RV parks.

I went for a walk; heard something behind me; turned around to find this family following me. Wierd looking gang !

Silverton, Colorado

One of my new favorite little towns ! Must be some gold there !

At Molas Pass near Silverton.

Native American Rock Art Near Moab, Utah

A photo from yesterday of Native American rock art found on a panel perhaps 40 yards in length along a highway near Moab. It dates from 1000 to 4000 B.C. I love this stuff !

Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite

This BLM site was very interesting. It is near Shell, Wyoming. Hundreds of dinosaur tracks to inspect  
up close. When we visited, we were the only visitors. It's a quiet stop.

Apgar Village and Lake McDonald at Glacier Park

This village offers some great lake views and pretty good dining. The lake in the afternoon is very serene and well worth a rest stop.

Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park

This is a GREAT park that we visit anytime we go to Glacier Park. We ALWAYS see bears on the way to the Prince of Wales Hotel (my wife loves the English Tea Service in the hotel).  It's a great day trip from any of the RV parks around Glacier National Park.

Mt. Rainier National Park

We never miss an opportunity to stop at Mount Ranier National Park, one of our country's greatest treasures. We have stayed at the Paradise Lodge there and also at The National Park Inn at Longmire. Great mountain views and refreshing air ! Try the chili at the Paradise Inn snackbar !

Paradise Lodge

Cape Flattery, Washington State

One of the greatest walks in the U.S. is the rain forest and boardwalk at Cape Flattery. It winds through a rain forest out to the farthest Northwest point in the lower 48 states. If you're in the area, go this extra few miles up the coast. You will be glad you did.

Western Heritage Days - Stevensville, Montana

One of our favorite little towns out west is Stevensville, Montana, just south of Missoula in the Bitterroot Valley. We always take in Western Heritage Days.

Colter Bay Village RV Park-Jackson Lake, Grand Tetons

Wow.....what a great place to spend a few days. This lake and surrounding mountains are the definition of beauty. Cool mountain air, quiet nights, walks around the lake. I WILL be going back !

Museum of the Mountain Man - Pinedale, Wyoming

Another museum which had been on my must see list for some time is the Museum of the Mountain Man. It's worth a side trip to see it if you're headed to Grand Teton. It actually has Jim Bridger's rifle !  There have been many books and movies about the mountain man and most are not based on fact. In reality, the era of the mountain man only lasted about twenty years and was made possible primarily because of the popularity of the beaver hat. As soon as that style of hat died out, so did the mountain man. Movies portray the mountain man as a bearded illiterate. In reality, most were very well educated and often sat around reading Shakespeare. Few had beards. The reason they did not grow beards : They wanted to marry an Indian woman to feel safer traveling and living among the various tribes. Just north of Pinedale is a small BLM campground where we parked for $5.00 a night. In the morning two moose were grazing just outside the park. This is a great place to park.

Mesa Verde National Park

I don't know why we waited so long to visit Mesa Verde National Park. However, it was on our 2013 travel list and we really enjoyed it. It is a well preserved historical site. Congratulations to the National Park Service for keeping this treasure in such fine condition.

Our trip West this year had it's down days. 70 miles south of Albuquerque on I-25, my alternator went out. I was able to coast in to a rest stop, literally could not have traveled another 100 yards. After talking to some mechanic friends, concluded it was the alternator and called Coach-Net. An hour or so later, a wrecker that seemed larger than my coach showed up and a short while later my coach went for a fast ride up I-25 to Rocky Mountains Cummins. The wrecker driver backed us into a site on the Cummins lot and we had hook-ups. The next morning, the Cummins staff concluded it was indeed a bad alternator, located one in town and had it installed by the afternoon along with all the belts I asked them to replace while they were in there. Cummins invited us to stay until the next morning. Great service at Cummins and a great wrecker service. Coach-Net did a quick and professional job and the wrecker service cost me nothing. Lesson learned: What the alternator guage and if it looks weak......check it out. These big coaches just will not shift or run without plenty of battery power.

Emergency Escape Window Test

Today, I tested the two emergency escape windows in the Dutch Star. The rear bedroom window MUST be working well as a fire emergency while we're sleeping may leave us very little time to escape. The window has two red handles inside that when unlocked, allows the window to be pushed out away from the coach. I cut a small pole to prop open the window so we can slide out relatively easily and hopefully ..quickly.  We also have more than the normal number of smoke and fire alarms in the coach as well as a gas leak detector and a carbon monoxide detector. Then.....we also have Leah..our trusty puppy to sound the alarm !

Michelin Tires Surprise-I Have Two More Years

I checked my Dutch Star tires today. They were manufactured in May, 2008. Conventional wisdom among RVers is that you should not press your luck beyond seven years. Around this time, the tires may be developing cracks in the sidewall which can cause failure (blowout).......something you sure do not want while driving 40,000 lbs, at 65 or 70 mph.  So, I'm good this year....but...will check them constantly. When it's time, I'll go with Michelins again.....probably around a $4500 expense.

New Batteries for the Dutch Star

Yesterday, I installed four new deep cycle 6 volt batteries in the Dutch Star. I decided on Interstate batteries after calling Newmar to see which brand is being installed in the new Newmar coaches. Interstate batteries are also sold just about everywhere and if necessary can be returned for replacement fairly easily.  The biggest issue I had was remembering the wiring placement, so I tagged each cable. I also pulled all the roller bearings which allow the battery tray to slide out easily and packed the bearings with grease. Then I painted the battery tray and installed the new batteries. These are the batteries called "house" batteries which power all the interior lighting, slides, etc.. These should last 5 to 6 years.