June 2019

June 2019 Ramblings from Ramblin Ruis

Alaska/ Canada Border

Well its hard to believe that it’s the first of June and Paula and I only have 59 days left here in Skagway. The past month has been very busy with the cruise season picking up full speed ahead on Tuesdays and Wednesdays we average 12,500 cruise passengers a day visiting this tiny little harbor town of Skagway which maintains a normal fulltime population of 1000 people. The remaining days average between 8000 on Mondays and Thursdays with, 6000 on Fridays with Saturday and Sundays usually being our lowest days between 2000 and 3500. All of this is based on the schedules of the cruise lines with north and south bound ships both passing through here on Tuesday or Wednesday. The largest of the ships is the Ovations of the Sea at 4100 passengers and the smallest being the Alaskan Dream with its overwhelming large capacity of 40 passengers. Needless to say, the town that is 4 blocks wide and 20 blocks in length, with most retail on Broadway between the Docks and 7^th street gets pretty busy. 

Here in Skagway there are a few days we get really excited about, they are paydays (every two weeks), days off and Barge Day. You might ask what are Barge Days. Well those not familiar with exactly where Skagway is located it is in a small valley 12 miles south of the Canadian border with the harbor being on the Lynn Canal which leads to the Prince William Sound and eventually to the Pacific Ocean with 3000 to 5000 foot mountains completely surrounding the town with one road leading to the closest civilization in Whitehorse Yukon Canada(130miles).  So, after a quick geography lesson back to why Barge day is so exciting, it is that everything comes from the lower 48 by Barge to Skagway, groceries, fuel, hardware store supplies almost everything except sunlight travels here by Barge. So, on Tuesday afternoon which is barge day here in Skagway you better hit the grocery store early for milk, bread, produce and meats and such cause by Wednesday you may not be asking what did I want for dinner but rather what is left at the grocery that I can have for dinner. So, most folks travel at least once a month to Whitehorse to get supplies but the 200-mile trip with fuel and the current exchange rate of one Canadian dollar equal to .65 cents US it about equals out on cost cause everything on the barge is marked up 6.25 for a gallon of milk for example. Well enough of the inconveniences of living here.

Knife Mountain in the Distance

 We had our company orientation on Monday May 6 the last day of no ships in Skagway and which was the first time the employees of all four stores had been together and introduced to each other. We have a group of people with a wide range of ages and backgrounds. It was nice to meet everyone and put a face with some names we had been hearing but had not yet met. Dennis and Nancy Corrington own five retail stores plus have a real estate business among other interest in the town. After our orientation we were provided a pizza lunch and then a tour and overview of the five stores so we could better serve our customers if the store we were working in may not have an item but we could refer them to one of the other stores. Along with the tour of the stores we got an insight to how the Corrington’s got started in the retail business which was very interesting. Dennis Corrington was a school teacher and pilot in Nome Alaska. He was promoted to Superintendent and in this capacity, he visited a number of the outlying villages to recruit student and teachers for the school district which cover hundreds of miles. He became well know and liked by the native people, so he would always ask if they needed anything the next time he was back in their village. He filled their request for car parts or whatever they might need on his next trip. Instead of paying him money which they did not have they gave him ivory from animals they had harvested or found buried in the ice from woolly mammoths to other tusked mammals. After a while he had began to accumulate a large amount of ivory so he began investigation and found about how valuable ivory was so he opened his first trading post in Nome selling his ivory. Once he and Nancy met, they moved to Skagway and opened the ivory store here in Skagway back in a day before the cruise ship stopped here and maybe only 9000 visitors a year came to Skagway. Once the cruise ships began coming to Skagway Dennis was quite the promotor, he would meet the ships at the dock with his one dog bicycle sled and signs to encourage passengers to stop in his store. He once raced a horse and buggy with his one dog bicycle sled on Broadway and won. The extended bicycle frame is on display in the knife store (legend has it he got a fine for speeding when he won the race.) Dennis also ran the Iditarod race in 1979 and finished last of those that finished the race and he won the “red lantern” awarded to the last finisher of the long dog sled race. The sled and other items are on display in their museum which is free to the public and a small store is attached. Two other stores focus on more high-end gifts and items. Most all made by native Alaskans. A lot of his ivory carvings are on display here as well and are absolutely amazing the detail work in these handmade scrimshaw pieces. And then the last store is the SOS store or Skagway Outlet Store which is souvenir central and where Paula and are working. Paula mainly as a cashier and me as a stock clerk. I never knew they made so many different magnets and key chains and thing-a-ma-bobs but we got plenty along with tee shirts, placemats, mugs, jewelry, almost anything you could want to remind you of your Alaskan cruise. So, don’t forget to look us up if you are in Skagway at the SOS located at 7^th and Broadway.

Emerald Lake on the Klondike Highway between Whitehorse Yukon and Skagway 

In May we were able to get out and do some exploring in Skagway. Interestingly enough Skagway has a long history and was a boom town way before the cruise ships found it. In late 1897 someone found gold in the Yukon of Canada near Dawson City Yukon. By early 1898 word of gold had trickled down to the south and the rush was on. There were two ways to get to Dawson City either a steam ship all the way around Alaska and up the Yukon River or to a small trading camp know as DYEA in the south eastern part of Alaska, a shorter route but much more difficult. The Chilkoot trail lead 33 miles from Dyea up and over the boundary mountains between what is now Alaska and Canada to lakes that feed into the Yukon River 400 mile from Dawson City. Dyea is a native word which means ‘to pack” and that’s what these explores did they had to pack their supplies up over this treacherous 33-mile trail by foot or horse back. The Canadian Mounties required 2000 pound of provisions per person enough to last a year by everyone who crossed the trail. So, you can image the number of horses or people it took to carry these provisions.  Estimated 20,000 people in this tiny trader’s camp at its boom.

Then a second trail sprang up in Skagway because of a deeper channel it allowed for the boats to maneuver much safer and easier.  William Moore was a homesteader here in Skagway but was overrun by gold seekers. And then came The White Pass Yukon railroad which was began and completed in 2 years ,2 months and 2 days which made travel up to the Yukon River much easier and Dyea dried up and immediately the 20,000 patrons moved to Skagway which had hotels, salons and lawlessness. But for most of those 20,000 gold seekers sadly got to Dawson City to only find all the claims had been staked and only 4% of them actually found gold. Most had to make the return trip home with no gold and broke from the cost of getting to Dawson City. One such fellow was Jack London and from his travels he penned the book “The Call of the Wild” from his experience on the Chilkoot trail. 

Skagway Harbor from the White Pass Railroad

One of the main reasons Skagway is here today is the National Parks service has preserved a lot of the History by making this area a national park area. Most of the buildings on Broadway are the 100-year-old structures preserved from the gold rush era just repurposed today as museums, retail stores, apartments or restaurants.

One of two tunnels on the 20 mile White Pass rail trip to Fraser Canada

The White Pass Railroad is still operational today and offers 40-mile round trips to Fraser Canada where you can see the remnants of the old foot trails used by these gold seekers. Paula and I took this train ride on a beautiful sunny day and enjoyed the views of glaciers and waterfalls from the train.

Literally on the edge of the mountain 

Paula and I have also made a number of trips to Dyea which is the only other road in Skagway and its a 7-mile dirt road. We spend time here looking for eagles, otters, seals, sea lions, porcupines and the elusive bear which will frequent the many rivers and streams once the salmon start to run in mid to late June.

Local Dyea Residents

We also have had a few movie nights and a trivia night with our employee group on Sunday evenings at the campground clubhouse. Paula and finished second place at our first trivia night and I have to admit we would have tied and maybe won had I listened to my wife on a couple of the answers. (Imagine a husband not listening to his wife).

We have adjusted to life in the 17-foot Starcraft Autumn Ridge camper. But man, I miss my recliners more than anything after walking 5 to 6 miles a day while stocking the store we would both love to come home to those recliners and put our feet up. But other than that, we are good still speaking to each other with no issues. So, I guess we passed the test and are meant to be for these 27 years together.  

Well you may be wondering about the weather here in Skagway. It was cold and snowy the first two weeks we were here then it turned nice we have had some days near 75 which is unusual for here this time of year. Our forecast is changing the next week is rainier and cooler which the rain is needed as forest fires have already began in Canada and across the bay 45 miles in Haines. The sunlight is getting longer with the approach of June 20 today the sunrise was at 3;58am and the sunset want be until after 10pm. But its almost to the point of only a couple hours of true darkness.

 So, with that we will leave you with this to remember;    

“Wherever you go,

no matter the weather,

always bring your own sunshine”

Author Unknown

Cinnamon Black  Bear (2 cubs not photogenic)

Until Next Time

Ramblin Ruis

                       Allen and Paula                       

                 

Another Chapter Begins

Another Chapter Begins

April 28,2019

White Pass on Klondike Highway near Canada and Alaska Border

Well on April 12, 2019 Paula and I packed up our little tiny house and left Las Cruces New Mexico headed for the last frontier and the unknown of our 49^th state in these great United State of America. As usual when leaving one of our locations we hated to say good bye to Toni, Chris, Leah and the gang at the Las Cruses KOA, but we are eager to see what is in store for us in this next chapter.

Before we could even get started Mother Nature had a few things to say about our route. We had planned to leave Las Cruses and head straight up I 25 to Denver and into Wyoming and catch I-90 into Montana but an unusually strong winter storm with blizzard warnings came storming right into our planned route of travel, so we had to back up and punt and take an alternative route. This route took us across North Western New Mexico and South West Colorado where we spent the first night in Cortez Colorado.

Cortez Colorado

From Cortez we cut across southern Utah red rock country of Moab and onto I-15 through Salt Lake City and to Idaho Falls for night two. This was a much longer day than we generally like to do but another storm was brewing and had us in her sites so we tried to cover as much ground as we could. Day three we left early from Idaho Falls headed to Bozeman Montana on Rt 20 to West Yellowstone and then Rt 191 to Bozeman. We were trying to time our travel with the projections of the weather man who was calling for snow on this brisk April morning. So, as we left Idaho Falls weather was good but we knew the elevation and mountain passes could be a challenge if we hit it wrong. You know my thought-on weathermen, they are the only occupation that never has to be right but never gets fired. So, as we begin to climb in elevation headed toward the Gallatin Mountains of course it began to snow. Only one or two spots were bad and we were able to make it over the mountains and into Bozeman with out incident. This area is always beautiful this time of year with all the snow-covered mountain peaks.

Rt. 20 Island Park Idaho 

Oh, yea and Mother Nature did catch up with us in Bozeman and she dumped 3 inches of snow on us Monday morning.

Once in Bozeman we took care of shopping to load up on supplies for the coming months as Montana doesn’t have a state sale tax we loaded up on enough soaps, washing powder, toothpaste, etc. etc. etc. as we will be a long distance from real shopping until we leave Skagway the end of July. On Monday night we had dinner with my cousin Darcy and her husband Mark at Outback. We had a real nice visit for about 2 1/1 hours which has become a regular occurrence when we are in Bozeman.  On Tuesday Paula and I took off for Yellowstone for a day adventure before having a late lunch with Jan Howard who has been our manager in Yellowstone the past two seasons. We traveled out to the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone which is the only road open year-round in the park as it leads to Cooke City Montana on the eastern edge of the park. We saw as expected huge herds of Bison, Elk, Deer in the drive out and as we began to turn around along the thermal feature know as Soda Butte, I noticed some large animals in the Soda Butte Creek and upon closer inspection it was four Moose 3 adults and one juvenile. This was huge as since the big fire of 1988 in Yellowstone Moose have been rare to see in Yellowstone but in the last few years more and more have been seen in the park. We saw two last year and these four beauties this year. After about a 3 hour visit with Jan we headed back to Bozeman for the night. On Wednesday morning after taking care of some business we hooked up the tiny house and head north. We stopped in Great Falls, Montana for the night.

On Thursday April 18 we left Great Falls and headed toward the Canadian border. I have been in this region before and it always amazed me that this land is fairly flat farm land, for some reason not what I thought far northern Montana and Southern Alberta would be like. We crossed the border at Coutts, Alberta Canada after about an hour wait in line. Fortunately, we didn’t get pulled for inspection and we continued to Red Lodge Alberta where we spent the night. Red Lodge is located half way between Calgary and Edmonton.  That night would be our last in civilization as we know it until at least the first of August. The next morning, we got up and passed through Edmonton, where we headed west to Dawson Creek British Columbia. We spent the night in Dawson Creek for the night. Dawson Creek is the official start of the Alaskan Highway milepost 0. The Alaska Highway was built in 1942 after the Japanese attack on Peral Harbor to provide the US and Canada a road to move military equipment to Alaska to prevent further Japanese expansion into the northern Pacific Ocean.

The highway goes through some of the roughest and rugged country in British Columbia and Yukon Territories and Alaska.  Once we left Dawson Creek, we began to enter the true wilderness and back country. We climbed up and over the northern Rockies and villages and towns got smaller and further apart. We even bought fuel at one location called Pink Mountain which was merely two shipping containers in a dirt lot sitting above ground with a hose and nozzle attached to pump fuel from and between the two containers was a booth you entered and ran your credit card to pay for the fuel.

one stop fueling 1.59 per liter

This day we stopped at the Toad River lodge which is one of only three places in Canada that stays open year round on the Alaska Highway. Now the lodge we would think of is some large grand structure but not on the Alaska Highway. Here a lodge is a combination restaurant, gas station, campground and a few cabins for rent.  We checked in and only had electricity on our site as the water had not been turned on to the camp ground or cabins. Paula asked if there were showers available and all she got in response from the young Asian women working was “no water same price 17.50 same price.

sites along the highway

Canadian Caribou
So welcome to the wilderness of the Alaska Highway.  We did find that from this point on you had to plan your fuel stops and never pass a station with less than half a tank, cause you never know when you will find another open station this time of year. Just because the GPS says there was a fuel stop in 300 kilometers that did not mean it was open for the summer season yet. And yes, the kilometers vs miles thing is interesting as I was always having to convert my mileage for kilometers to miles so I would know how far I could go on a tank of fuel.

We left Toad River on Easter Sunday and we had another storm bearing down on us so we made a long day of it and drove a 13-hour day from Toad River to Skagway Alaska.

This was a fairly smooth day until the last hour and a half as we traveled from Whitehorse, Yukon to Skagway.
As we got about half way to Skagway we began to climb into the abyss of snow covered mountains, fog and snow showers. The higher we went the lower the ceiling got and then it began to snow. We made it to the Canadian customs at Frazier with no problem and then started down to Skagway. Those of you familiar with lover’s leap mountain on Rt 58 in Patrick County VA will know what I speak of when I say this decent was like lover’s leap on steroids winding steep, snowing and fog we could see the road in front of us and nothing left or right. Thankfully we made it to the US Customs and through without incident and arrived at the Corrington Employee Campground where we will spend the next 3 months.

Home Sweet Home

After a day of setting up our trailer and giving it a full clean up on Monday. We will be working for the Corrington retail stores for the summer here in Skagway so we started to work on Tuesday morning in the one of the souvenir stores, with stocking, pricing and getting the store ready to open for the first cruise ship of the season on Monday April 29.  We are just getting to know folks but it seems we have a very nice group of experienced work campers to work with. 

 Knife Mountain Skagway

We are looking forward to seeing new things and making new friends here this summer and will try and update this blog when we can and as often as we can.

Some of our neighbors out for a evening swim

We hope all is well with you and yours.

So, until next time I will leave you with this thought attributed to our 16^th President Abraham Lincoln,

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count.

It’s the life in your years.”

The Borough of Skagway and Skagway Harbor 

Ramblin Ruis

Allen and Paula

    

Spring time in Las Cruces 2019

March 1, 2019

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.

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.

Beep Beep!!! This 20 foot tall Roadrunner made of recycled items stands on the western mesa overlooking Las Cruces.

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 27^th 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 18^th 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 18^th 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.

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 5^th 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. 4^th 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.

Our Alaskan Dream Wagon

 So now we will put our 34 foot 5^th 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 12^th leave Las Cruces

April 18^th cross Canadian border Sweet Grass, Montana

April 25 Arrive Skagway, Alaska

August 1, leave Skagway for Tok, Alaska

August 2^nd 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”.

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

January 2019 Update

Ramblin Ruis update January 2019

Our view of Las Cruses and the snow covered Organ Mountains

 Well whether we wanted it to or not 2019 has arrived. Its hard to believe that 2019 starts our third year Ramblin around the good ole USA. We have settled in for the winter in the southwestern desert, but the weather hasn’t been what I was expecting for the desert. December was warm at the start and then quickly cooled off as we had a number of weather fronts move in off the Pacific coast. Now being here on the western mesa overlooking Las Cruses the aren’t many trees and when those fronts come in the wind blows with little resistance, fortunately we haven’t had any dust storms. We have had 2 snow events that left a dusting here in the valley but measurable snow in the mountains.

Paula and I are doing well, we have gotten comfortable with our job as we check in 10 to 20 campers a night, sell a few goods from the store, and I have been licensed to pump propane for the campers. Most of the folks staying here are only one or two nighters from all over the country.

December also brought us visitors from Alaska as Ashley and Tristan flew in to visit and celebrate Christmas together.  Ashley has developed a real love of the outdoors and the wildlife in it, something that she started as a youngster and furthered in her adulthood. That being said we spent a few days checking out several bird and wildlife refuge areas around Las Cruces.

The next day we took a hike through the Bosque state park in Mesilla. After talking to the host, I was glad we were here during the winter as the host advised he saw an average of 8 rattlesnakes a day in and around the trails in the park last summer, this park is only about 5 miles away as the crow flies from our campground, spring time should be interesting around here. We saw lots of birds and Paula finally saw her first roadrunner (beep beep) crossing the road.  

Sunbathing Road Runner

One of the areas we visited was the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge was established in 1939 as a bird refuge for migrating birds that traveled along the Rio Grande River as they migrate from up north to winter in the refuge.  Some of the birds that migrate to the area each year are sandhill cranes, snow geese, various types of ducks. There are also mountain lions, bobcats, wild turkey, mule deer, and javelina (pronounced havalina) along with a multitude of lizards and other crawly things. This refuge is located about 2 ½ hours north of Las Cruces off of Interstate 25. So, Ashley found that they gave free guided tours of the refuge by experienced bird lovers and she booked us a tour. The catch was that the tour was at 8am so we had to leave Las Cruces at 5am to insure we arrived on time. Just so happens this was the coldest snap of weather we have had, and it was 29 when we left Las Cruses but the further north, we traveled it got colder as we rose in altitude. Thankfully it was a sunny day and we were in the truck and then a 15-passenger van for the tour.  After arriving at the refuge, we met our guide and driver and we found out we were the only ones signed up for the tour, so we basically had our own private tour. Now I can’t say that Paula and I are avid bird watchers, but Ashley and Tristan are very knowledgeable, and it was a real treat listening to them interact with the guide about the various bird and duck species that they saw. 

The main attraction of the refuge this time of year are the sandhill cranes that are estimated to be 20,000 birds strong. Now according to the guide these birds flew in from as far north as Alaska at an altitude of around 9000 feet and when they descend, they do so in a circular manner, so their lungs can decompress from the high altitude decent. We saw these guys all over the refuge as they feed on the grasses and seeds and majestically flew around with their huge 5-foot 4-inch long wingspan. There were also thousands of snow geese flying around and when they landed in flocks, they were so close together it truly looked like the ground was covered with snow. We went around one turn on the dirt road in the refuge and there it was the elusive “ROAD RUNNER”.  Road Runners are a black and gray colored skinny bird they can fly but are more comfortable on the ground and can run up to 15mph. Paula’s new favorite bird. Because of the cold temperatures this Road Runner was moving slow, they actually spread open their wings and expose their black skinned backs to the sun which helps warm them up, almost like a solar panel.  

The tour lasted about 3 hours and we learned how the water of the Rio Grande was diverted into the refuge to flood and manage the refuge and then with the help of gravity after passing through the refuge it reenters the Rio Grande on its journey to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way we say a large flock of wild turkeys, mule deer, blue herons, red hawks and many more. We also saw a brood of javelina which are wild pigs that are common in the southwestern desert and central America. Once we finished our tour, we headed back toward Las Cruces and had a picnic lunch at the Elephant Butte state park overlooking the reservoir along the way.

After working our two days and having our Christmas gift exchange we packed up for another adventure. We had planned a trip to the Grand Canyon as Tristan had never been before and it had been a number of years since Ashley, Paula and I had been.  

On the way to the Grand Canyon we stopped in Tucson, Arizona for one night. The purpose of stopping in Tucson was so we could visit the Saguaro National Park which is the home of the “Giant Cactus” which is the symbol of the old southwest. 

The Saguaro Cactus is located only in a small portion of the southwestern United States and the national park was created to protect these majestic plants. We stopped by the visitor’s center and got a map of the park and then decided to drive the loop road through the park and take a few hiking trails from there as it was late in the afternoon. The loop road is a dirt road that dissects the western part of the park that is divided by the city of Tucson.

As we entered the dirt road and began to drive between these huge plants it was almost as if we had entered another planet. Everywhere we looked the cactus covered the landscape in various shapes and sizes. A closer look reveals an exterior covered in needle sharp thorns. It is even more amazing that these monsters grow and thrive in this dry climate, only receiving measurable amounts of water during the summer monsoons. The giant cactus grows on an average of 43 feet tall and grow an average of five arms. Interesting enough the Saguaro don’t even grow arms until they are at least 70 years old and they live to be around 200 years old. We got out and hiked one of the trails that lead us into the heart of the Saguaro cactus forest. As we walked and looked it was amazing to see the holes in the cactus that were made by bird for there homes. We noticed that the birds flited from cactus to cactus landing without a care in the world.

Another trail took us to a rock mound known as Signal Hill which was covered with Petroglyphs. Petroglyphs are writings and drawings which predate modern writing. The Petroglyphs are thought to be hundred if not thousands of years old. It was amazing how well these designs and writings have held up to the harsh desert elements for all these years.

Sunset over Saguaro National Park

After a good night’s sleep in Tucson we headed north for 3 nights in the Grand Canyon, weather forecast highs in the 20’s lows in the teens. We weren’t sure about our accommodations for this weather because we got a good deal on our rooms that Xanterra was running. The only catch was the rooms we were in were scheduled for demolition at the beginning of 2019 to be replaced by some new lodges. We checked into the lodge which was located inside the Grand Canyon National Park about ¼ mile walk to the south rim of the canyon. We checked in and found our rooms to be nice and maybe directly out of the 1960’s complete with electric baseboard heat. It did have a TV with cable although not a flat screen. After getting settled in we went and had dinner at the lodge café pizza pub. It was surprisingly good pizza. We decided to get up the next morning and watch the sunrise over the canyon.

SOO……  on  Day 2 thankfully the sunrise wasn’t until 7am so we got up around 6 and drove to one of the overlooks known for good sunrises over the canyon. Keep in mind it was about 18 degrees and the frost was so thick on the windshield and ground it looked like snow.  The canyon was very peaceful and beautiful at this time of morning despite the temperatures. There had been a snowfall a few days before we arrived, and the rim of the canyon had a dusting of snow on it which added to the dramatic colors of the canyon walls.

Snowfall on the south rim of the Grand Canyon

After enjoying the sunrise, we went back to the room and had breakfast. Ashley and Tristan decided to take the shuttle bus and hike along the rim while Paula and I went to the visitor center and saw a movie on the canyon and learned other interesting facts about the area. After the sun came up it warmed up enough that we had a picnic lunch outside the lodge and then that afternoon we drove along the western end of the south rim all the way to Hermit’s Rest.  Hermit’s Rest is a small rock structure built in 1914 as a shelter for tourist visiting the canyon. Today it serves as a souvenir shop and starting point for the Hermit’s trail which leads to the canyon floor.

Paula the explorer

On the way back, we stopped at a number of overlooks and also saw a small heard of Roosevelt elk which are resident to the park they are much smaller than the Yellowstone elk.

On day 3 we decided to drive up to Horseshoe bend overlook near Page Arizona. The drive up to Horseshoe lead us north through Navajo Reservation land and the land scape changed from the bright red of the canyon to a gray colored sand. As we traveled north, we made a detour through the marble canyon which has a bridge that crosses the Colorado river at the far northeast end of the Grand Canyon. We then stumbled upon Lee’s ferry which is part of the Glen Canyon recreation area.

I made it to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

Ashley and Tristan at Lee's Ferry with Colorado River in the background

The location is named for a ferry that was established by Mormon pioneers for early travelers to safely cross the Colorado River.  We spent some time exploring the riverbank and original structures left from the ferry operators. After a short hike we had a picnic lunch along the banks of the Colorado River. The last time we visited the Grand Canyon Paula spent some substantial time watching a California Condor while Ashley and I were hiking but this trip she was told that it was to cold to see them in the canyon. But as we started to leave the Lee’s Ferry area, we spotted a larger bird flying above the canyon. We stopped and upon further investigation viewed through our binoculars and a few minutes of debate we thought it was a California Condor, but he landed high up on the canyon and we couldn’t tell for sure.

California Condor # 54

Then he soared off the canyon rim and flew right over us and across the river. It was no doubt at this time it was a California Condor and he even flew close enough with his 9-foot wingspan that we could make out a numbered wing tag with the number 54 on it. Now these birds are very ugly up close but are an awesome sight inflight. California Condor number 54 landed on the canyon wall right across the river where we were able to get a really close up view of the bird. While watching number 54 I noticed another bird higher up on the canyon above 54. After a view through the binoculars, we were able to see the second California Condor had wing tag number 55.  

Now considering that the Grand Canyon area only has 75 California Condors which were released here to help the endangered species survive it was pretty awesome to see two so close together at one time. Now being technology savvy Ashley and Tristan quickly found a website that tracked the Grand Canyon Condors. It was determined that number 54 was a male and 55 was a female both released around 2005. So, it’s a good possibility this was a mating pair of condors which are helping increase the canyon condor population. 

We finally arrived at the Horseshoe bend overlook of the Colorado River which is located northeast of the beginning of the Grand Canyon National Park in the Glen Canyon Recreation Area. This location is where the Colorado River has carved a 270 degree turn in the rock walls of the canyon. We parked in the parking lot and had to take a hike to the overlook. We climbed the ¼ mile up from the parking lot and we got to the top and thought we were there but to our surprise it was another steep downhill 3/4 mile hike down to the overlook.

Horseshoe Bend of the Colorado River

Another Adventure 

The hike was strenuous but well worth it for the wonderful views overlooking the river. After returning to the lodge we grabbed a quick dinner in the café and turned in for a good night’s sleep. The next morning Paula and I headed back to Las Cruses while Ashley and Tristan headed to Las Vegas after one more night in the canyon area before returning to Alaska.

The week of Christmas we attended a Christmas concert with one of the families we work with at the First Baptist Church we’ve been attending. And then the Christmas Eve service which was very nice although no candles which we missed. Then the Sunday before Christmas Paula and I volunteered to work for some of our co workers who were going to visit family for Christmas, so they could get an early start.  For New Years we were asleep by 10 but being 2 hours behind the east coast we got to watch some of the New Years TV celebrations without having to stay up all night.

As 2019 begins it marks the beginning of our 3^rd year of retirement and Ramblin. We have been blessed with the chance to meet new people and make some new friends, work in some beautiful locations and enjoy a lot of Gods wonderful creations. We are excited to see where 2019 leads us and what doors will be opened.  

As we leave you remember that

“All that wander are not lost”

Still Ramblin

Allen and Paula

Ramblin Ruis