Walk to downtown Santa Fe

David and Bonnie planned us a walking route to downtown and we set off just after lunch. Hardly any traffic, and although there were a few people downtown with a few businesses starting to open up it was nowhere near as busy as what it would have been on a normal beautiful Sunday afternoon.

But, it was a good walk and we enjoyed the interesting architecture here in Santa Fe.

Beautiful drive, but too many people

We enjoyed our three night boondocking spot in Santa Fe National Forest, but it was time to move on. We were actually headed to visit friends in Sante Fe, but decided to take a round about route to get there.

Highway 4 from Los Alamos to San Isidro looked like a really nice drive, and one of our readers had suggested we go see the Gilman Tunnels. Plus, when you can fill up with gas at $1.30, you don't mind doing some touring!

Forest fire hike

Another beautiful day.

We are parked up at the edge of Santa Fe National Forest near Los Alamos, New Mexico. Across the road is more recreational land, but it's called Bandalier National Monument.

Vacant government land comes under a lot of different jurisdictions here in the United States.

And this is why I love Amazon...

Pretty nice spot we have here in Santa Fe National Forest. The temperature is perfect with highs around 75F (24C) with blue skies and sunshine, and comfortable overnight lows of around 55F (12C).

Oh, and there are no bugs.

Perfect.

Beautiful boondocking spot in the hills

Well, we are now traveling on our own once again, pretty much for the first time in six months. We enjoyed our time spent leading the Mexico RV Caravan Group, and also with Bob and Denise over the last month and a half.

But yesterday it was time to say goodbye.

Hike up to 9,300' and big horned sheep!

We had a 9:00am start for a planned 4 mile (6.5 km) hike up an old forest service road to Cabresto Lake at 9,300'. There is actually a dispersed camping area at the lake, but the road up is 4WD only... not suitable for the motorhomes!

Too bad, because it was a beautiful spot.

"You have to do your research, you know..."

Had a great sleep Sunday night at the Taos airport. Temperature never got that cold, and it was still about 57F (13C) inside the motorhome when we woke up. Got our internet work done using the free airport WiFi and then headed down to the Rio Grande bridge where our friends Bob and Denise had been overnighting at the rest area beside the bridge.

We walked across part of the bridge, with the deck located about 800' above the river. I think I remember reading that this is the 10th highest bridge in the United States.

Into the mountains

We love fresh air and mountain scenery, so we've been looking forward to getting into that type of environment.

Yesterday, we drove through some beautiful mountain passes almost as high as 10,000'. Because it was a Sunday, there were a few other people out and about... but still not what you would call busy.

Capulin Volcano Hike and Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge

Woke up early again yesterday morning after another restless sleep due to the high winds overnight. We had already decided that we would get on the road right away and do enough driving to let Sherman's engine warm things up a little bit.

It was only a few miles to the Capulin Volcano where the entrance road was open as far as the visitors center, but the center itself was closed as was the road up to the top of the volcano.

In to New Mexico

We've been in "old" Mexico many times, but we really haven't spent much time in "New" Mexico. Mostly because much of the more interesting parts of New Mexico are at elevation and so of course it's just too cold in the winter. And normally, we would be back in Canada by this time of year.

So, this is giving us a good opportunity to spend some decent weather months in this part of the world.

3 states at the same time!

Beautiful morning for a bike ride.

Denise and Bob don't have bicycles with them (yet!) so they decided to do the 9 mile (15 km) return walk to the "3 corners" where Oklahoma, Colorado, and New Mexico meet. Ruth and I left after they did because we were doing it by bicycle... with a plan to get there about the same time.

Hike to the highest point in Oklahoma... and another change of plans!

(Just getting caught up after a day without internet access. This is the second post today. You may have missed the one posted earlier at https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2020/05/in-to-oklahoma.html)

We got up at sunrise around 7:00am Wednesday morning, and hit the Black Mesa trail a few minutes after 8:00am.

We are in the far northwest corner of Oklahoma, only a couple of miles from both Colorado and New Mexico. The trail leads up to the highest point in Oklahoma, which is located only a few hundred yards from the New Mexico border.

In to Oklahoma

We left Dumas, Texas at 9:00am Tueday morning. We were headed for the Black Mesa Nature Preserve in Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma panhandle is a narrow strip of land in the middle of nowhere. We honestly weren't expecting much from our destination, and in actual fact it was a bit of a detour from our planned route going up through Kansas and Nebraska. But sometimes things happen for a reason.

Back on the road!

It felt great to get back on the road again. Sherman was raring to go, and we headed out of the ranch right at 9:00am yesterday morning.

Big thanks to Joy, Tracy, Arin and the family for letting us stay there! We look forward to a return visit in the future.

Yesterday at happy hour we had a guest...

We enjoyed our 11 night stay at the ranch, but even when we like a place there comes a time when you have to leave. We are now headed up into the Oklahoma panhandle, and then Kansas.

We celebrated on Saturday night. Not sure what we were celebrating, but who needs a reason? We had bought some nice rib eye steaks, and the four of us used the dining room table to have a nice dinner!

April Expenses

Well, looking at our expenses for the month of April... it's obvious that we're not in Mexico anymore!

But really, if it weren't for the fairly big repair bill, we would have had not a bad month. Given that things are pretty expensive here (compared to Mexico), and we have to add on approximately 40% to everything we buy here because of the weak Canadian dollar.

We spent $1,597 CAD ($1,133 USD) plus the repair bill. For a total of $3,649 CAD ($2,590 USD).

"But it's a dry heat" they said...

This part of Texas is having a bit of a heat wave. The forecast high yesterday was 99F (37C), and I think it pretty much got there. Kinda strange when it was only about three weeks ago they were below freezing with snow flurries!

"But it's a dry heat" they said. And that's true. But it's still frickin' hot!

Heading for Kansas

We are still at the ranch here in Texas, and will be for a couple more days. Our plan was to wait things out until May 1st (today) and re-evaluate, given that many of the individual states are coming out with varied plans for reopening things like state park campgrounds.

Texas state park campgrounds remain closed, however the parks have re-opened for day use. Interestingly, the two states directly above us, Oklahoma and Kansas, have never closed their state park camping areas.

I've been looking at Sri Lanka as a possible destination

Yesterday, I mentioned that we would like to travel somewhere different next winter. Despite the current world situation, I'm still optimistic that will happen. I've been looking at Sri Lanka as a possible destination.

Sri Lanka is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, southeast of India. Population of around 22 million. It had a growing tourism business up until 2019 when terrorists scared everyone away and tourism was only just starting to pick up as things had returned to normal again over the last year.

Mexico next winter?

Just a lazy day here at the ranch yesterday. I spent some time getting my new phone set up and figuring out how everything works. Not that much different from the 3 year old Samsung, but certainly a few new bells and whistles.

It was too hot and windy to do any painting, but it has cooled off a bit today so we should be able to get back at it again.

How to Plan Your First Cruise

Going on a cruise is an exciting adventure enjoyed by everyone from honeymooners to families and retirees. More and more millennials are discovering the joys of cruising as the Cruise Travel Report indicated in 2018 - the percentage of this generation that stated they "definitely will" book a cruise for their next trip increased from 63 to 70 percent over the previous year.

For those who'd like to try cruising for the first time, planning can be a challenge, simply because there are so many options to choose from, like where do you want to sail, which cruise line should you travel on, which room to choose, and so on. There's a lot you need to know in order to make the best decisions, but these tips can help you plan the trip of your dreams.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Ruth and I went out for a bike ride before it got too hot or too windy. We ended up doing the same route we had done the other day, but in reverse. Again, only about 6.5 miles (10.5 kms) but enough to get some exercise. As we are now trying to get out on the bikes more regularly we will up the distance.

It's been pretty warm the last few days though, and windy. Highs around 86F (30C) and it's supposed to get even warmer than that later on this week.

Staying Healthy and Strong on Long Trips

While you likely aren’t heading out on a long trip right at this moment, it doesn’t mean you can’t start planning ahead and prepare for when things do get back to normal and travel is once again possible. While long trips can be lots of fun, giving yourself extra time to really explore and get to know the destination at the same time can be tough on your body. The last thing you want to be dealing with is getting sick while on vacation, or suffering from aches and pains that prevent you from doing all the touring and exploring you had planned on.

With that in mind, there are simple tips and bits of advice that you can follow that will help you to stay healthy and strong even on a long trip. So, let’s take a closer look.

This is rattlesnake territory...

We set off for a windy hike yesterday morning. When you've got a few thousand acres to explore, it's not difficult to put on a few miles and not even get close to seeing everything there is to see.

We had been told to watch where you are putting your feet... it's rattlesnake season and the prairie rattlesnake is fairly common in these parts.

Change of plans

Much of the world has had a change of plans over the last 6 weeks, and we are no different.

Originally, we were supposed to head up to Kansas City, Missouri where we were to hop on a plane and go visit family in Ottawa, Ontario for 10 days. Then fly back to Kansas City and drive the motorhome up to Cabri, Saskatchewan where we were going to spend three months working at Cabri Regional Park.

But all of that went out the window.

Another day on the ranch

We woke up to a strong north wind yesterday and the wind got stronger as the day went on. Fortunately, it was a clear blue sky. But even with the high of around 68F (20C) it felt cool all day.

We did get out for a short hike. I didn't measure it, but it was probably about 3.5 miles (5 kms). Oh, but before that there were chores to do. First up was to bottle feed a calf!

Home on the range... for the next week or more...

A few years ago while in Mexico, we met our friend Tracy. She was living in Puerto Escondido at the time, and we spent quite a bit of time together. We met her and her mother Joy when we got together in Puerto Vallarta a couple of years later.

Tracy had mentioned at some point that her family owns a ranch near Amarillo, and that we would be welcome to park there if we were ever headed that way. Yesterday, we took them up on that offer!

Sherman's repairs are complete!

You haven't heard from us for a couple of days because there hasn't been much to say. We had been parked up for three days and two nights in the mechanical garage parking lot. Well, we were actually parked inside the garage during the day... and outside at night.

Once again, S&L Auto Repairs in Amarillo looked after us well. Head mechanic Ismail did the repairs along with his assistant Isaac. The bill was not cheap, but it was about what I expected.

Stuck in Amarillo

But not for long.

We had some major repair work done at S&L Auto Repair here in Amarillo exactly two years ago. We were happy with the work and the guys who did it, so we purposely took a little bit of a detour to return here and have some more things looked at.

Since the last work was completed, we have done more than 20,000 miles of driving, some of it on very rough roads. Sherman has actually held up quite well, all things considered!

Airport camping

We said goodbye to Guthrie, Texas and headed further north. Not much to stop and see along the way in this part of Texas, but it's still interesting nonetheless.

This time, we had a pretty strong headwind... good thing, because it would make more room in the tank for some upcoming cheap gasoline! Ha... there is a bright side to everything!

A visit from the local Sheriff...

Had a quiet Friday night in Hamlin's sports park. We planned to set off at around 10:00am, and before we did so I checked the pressure in that one tire that we had repaired a few days ago. To my surprise it was zero. Yes, a big fat ZERO!

Bob came over to give me a hand and brought his bigger compressor. We figured we might be able to hear where it's leaking if we put some air in it. But as we took the wheel cover off, we quickly realized where it was coming from.

Lots of free overnight spots in Texas

Our original plan was to overnight in quite a few of the Texas State Parks, but since they closed we have had no problem finding good free overnight spots.

Oh, and speaking of Texas State Parks, they are re-opening their day use areas as of Monday! Great news for those of us who like to get some exercise and fresh air.

Fortunately, this kind of thing doesn't happen very often

Went for a 5.5 mile (9 km) power walk before leaving Santa Anna, Texas. Not the most scenic area, so didn't take any photos. But at least we got some exercise in.

We woke up to a strong south wind that was forecast to get stronger as the day went on. We don't normally like driving Sherman on a windy day, but when it's a tailwind, we will take the extra gas mileage!

Good guys at Flores Tire and Auto in Brady, Texas!

We continued slowly north today. We stopped in at Lake Brady Park just west of Brady, Texas but there weren't a lot of areas to walk so it didn't look like a suitable place for us to overnight. While we were there, I checked Sherman's tire pressures.

The left rear inner tire has had a slow leak ever since we plugged it four months ago in Mexico. I've been keeping an eye on it, and I've had to top it up once a week or so. But lately, the slow leak has become a fast leak!

Heading further north

It seems the worst of the cold weather front is over as of today, so we are slowly heading further north.

Yesterday, we walked around the town of Llano (pop 3,200). Nice little place. Then, we drove up towards Brady (pop 5,300) and found a nice little highway rest area for the night.

A beautiful Texas scenic drive...

We took the bikes out for another ride yesterday morning before we left the beautiful Stonewall area. It was a bit cool... I even had my winter hat and gloves on! But it turned out to be a beautiful blue sky day with a high of about 62F (16C).

We went out for an hour and did 9 miles (14.5 kms), but that including stopping along the way to take a couple of photos.

We needed to switch things up a little bit

We've probably power walked 60 miles (100 kms) in the last ten days. And while that's good for the aerobics, it's also good to get some different types of exercise. Yesterday, we got the bikes off. We needed to switch things up a little bit, and there are lots of places to bike around here.

This is such a beautiful area of Texas. And there are so many back roads that have hardly any traffic on them.

Snake! In a split second I backed away.

We went out for our daily 6 mile (10 km) power walk yesterday morning. Despite the fact that the state and national parks are closed, there are still a lot of places to walk in this area.

We are right beside the Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site, and on the other side of the river is the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Site.

Luxury Riverside Boondocking

With most public facilities closed, we are left to find places to overnight on our own. We're pretty good at that, but we also use the iOverlander app to get some ideas. It tends to list a lot of Walmarts and private RV parks and they are definitely a last resort for us, so we have to filter through the listings quite a bit.

But occasionally we come across something worthwhile. In this case, the listing was titled "Luxury Riverside Boondocking". So we drove over there yesterday.

Our pet butterfly

We always make an effort to get out for some exercise. Every day. It's at least a 4 mile hike of some kind and that's the minimum. In fact the last few days have probably averaged 6 miles (10 kms) per day.

And of course the terrain makes a difference. Some places we are trekking through the brush, and other places we are power walking on a paved pathway.

We do have a plan...

Yesterday morning we received notification by email that Texas State Parks were all being closed to the public by 5:00pm that day.

We went out for our morning hike and discussed what that meant for us. We had planned on using some of the Texas State Parks while making our way north. The only time it looked like it was going to be a problem was the upcoming Easter long weekend.

Sherman needs some minor repair

A few days ago, Sherman began acting up. Nothing serious, and I recognized the symptoms right away. The idle seemed high and erratic. And, the "Service Engine Soon" light had come on.

I checked the error code, and sure enough it was exactly what I figured. Sherman needed a new idle control module.

Sherman's 10 year old batteries are still doing fine

This last few days of dry camping have been a test of Sherman's now 10 year old Trojan batteries. It was in March of 2010 that we bought our new T-105 6 volt batteries. I knew they had a good reputation, but never expected them to last ten years.

I'm sure there has been some deterioration, but they are still doing fine!

Rain rain, go away...

Rain is in the forecast on and off for the next several days but we still get out for some daily exercise. We set out with Bob and Denise just before 10am to do another few miles of trails.

Although it spit with rain a few times, we were actually pretty lucky.