March 1, 2019
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| Big Red Chili at the Big Chili Inn |
Well spring has started to spring here on the western mesa of
Las Cruces as we are finally getting temperatures into the 70’s on a daily
basis. The Las Cruces KOA has been rocking from the hustle and bustle of campers
and from the winds that have been blowing across the desert. According to locals this has been one of the
coldest and windiest winters in recent memory because of the strong storm
fronts that have been rolling in off the Pacific Ocean.
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| Full Moon peaking through the clouds and over the peaks of the Organ Mountains |
This has in turn caused
us to be full most nights since the first of February as the “snowbird campers”
haven’t been able to return to their homes on the northern plains and Midwest
because of the snow and extreme low temps. Time is zipping on by here as we
only have 5 ½ weeks left in Las Cruces.
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Beep Beep!!! This 20 foot tall Roadrunner made of recycled items stands on the western mesa overlooking Las Cruces.
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Catching you up on what we have been up to since the last blog
update. The last weekend of January we took a ride down to Fabians, Texas to
the Cattleman’s Ranch to have lunch to celebrate my 54 birthday and our 27th
anniversary. Cattleman’s was recommended to us by a friend and was well worth
the short drive. This is a working cattle ranch that has been used as a
backdrop for several Hollywood movies and has a five- star steak house which
draws most folks to this remote ranch east of El Paso. We had a great steak
lunch with all the fixings which included, bread, baked potato, pineapple cold
slaw, and cowboy beans. And of course, to top off the celebration we had an
apple pie ala mode which ranked right up there with one of the best apple pie
desserts I’ve ever had.
After lunch we drove back along the border along what used to be
the ” El Camino Real Trail”. This
trail was a major thoroughfare in the 18th century Spanish colonial
era. The trail ran from Southern California thru San Antonio Texas and into Louisiana.
Along the trail there were a number of Spanish Missions which provided rest
stops and shelter for the travelers on the “El Camino Trail”. We were able to
see a couple of these old missions which survived, but it was hard to visualize
the 18th century travelers because of all the modern roads and
buildings that are now surrounding the missions.
As we traveled back toward Las
Cruces, we passed through downtown El Paso on the expressway right across the
border from Juarez, Mexico which YES is divided from El Paso by a WALL. Enough
said on that matter.
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| EL Paso Border expressway, Juarez Mexico just beyond the fence |
We have been discussing for a while now about going to Alaska
for the summer of 2019 and touring the state in August and then come back to
spend September with Ashley and Tristan and work for the tour company they work
for. Several options and travel modes had been discussed from a truck camper to
a camper shell on the truck to staying in hotels. We did not want to take our 5th
wheel trailer which is home because of the roads and the wear and tear this
long trip would put on our home. But as things seem to work out the Lord opened
another door for us as we found a job in Skagway, Alaska and after a telephone
interview, we were able to get a job beginning April 25. We will be working in
the retail shop for a local museum. This will be a little different from what
we normally do but the pay will be good, and our lodging/camping cost will be
covered as well.
Now this accelerated our discussions on mode of travel as we
will be in Alaska around 6 months. Obviously sleeping in a tent or in a camper
shell on a cot in the bed of the pick up just wasn’t going to work so we
narrowed our decision to a small bumper tow travel trailer. After a brief
search we found a floor plan that would best meet our needs, but the only
problem is that it was located in San Antonio Texas. So once again the good
Lord was looking out for us, we called the dealer on Friday and asked if they
could hold the trailer until we could get to San Antonio the following Monday.
The dealership agreed if we put down a deposit which we did (now
stay with me cause this is where it gets interesting) So Sunday we left Las
Cruces and made the 9 hour drive to San Antonio got a hotel room so we could be
at the dealership first thing Monday. On Monday Feb. 4th we arrived
at the dealership at 9am and met with the salesperson to view the trailer. It was what we were looking for and after
haggling we agreed on a sale price and began the paper work. Now this is where
it gets a little comical. Now after finishing the deal we intended to leave
Monday afternoon and head back to Las Cruces. We had intended to write a check
for the trailer and head back. BUT….. with
us staying in New Mexico, buying a trailer in Texas and having a Florida
residence they didn’t want to take our check, cant imaging why not….. HA HA but
we had never even given it a second thought. SO, into scramble mode we went, we
went to our bank to get a cashier’s check but because we were transferring money,
they wouldn’t give us the cashier’s check until the next morning once the
transfer cleared. SOOO back to the hotel and check back in and then back to the
dealership for a final walk thru with a technician to see how everything worked
on the camper. It was after this walk thru that we found out how the Lord was
looking out for us as the salesperson told Paula that the Saturday after we put
our deposit down a couple from Houston had driven to San Antonio with their pop
camper in tow to trade in on the very camper we wanted to purchase. Thankfully
the dealership honored our deposit and sorry for the other couples lost
opportunity, but it seemed it was meant for us to have this camper. SHEW
WEEEEEE…….. what a trip.
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| Our Alaskan Dream Wagon |
So now we will put our 34
foot 5th wheel travel trailer home in storage and down size again to
our 21-foot Starcraft travel trailer. If we survive living 6 months in this 21-foot
box I guess we are meant to be together for another 27 years. So here is an
outline of our plans as they stand now.
April 12th leave Las Cruces
April 18th cross Canadian border Sweet Grass, Montana
April 25 Arrive Skagway, Alaska
August 1, leave Skagway for Tok, Alaska
August 2nd meet up with Ashley in Anchorage Alaska
August 3-10 touring Seward and Homer Area
August 10 Ashley leaves for Ketchikan
August 11 -27 Touring Denali, Fairbanks and points beyond in the
interior AK
August 28 Ferry from Haines to Ketchikan
August 30 Arrive Ketchikan
August 30 to September 30 Ketchikan
September 30 Ferry from Ketchikan to Prince Rupert BC Columbia
Wow so there we are in a nut shell for the next 6 months.
This truly proves once again the old saying,
“ALL WHO WANDER ARE NOT LOST”.
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| Full moon view over the city of Las Cruces |
Hope all is well with you wherever you are reading this blog.
Until next time the
Ramblin Ruis
