Tag Archives: USA

Roswell, New Mexico – Aliens, UFO’s, Spaceships and more!

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February, 2015 – Roswell, New Mexico, was the site of some extra-terrestrial activity way back when, and a few aliens seem to have escaped and set up housekeeping in town. When we arrived in Roswell, we found the place was absolutely overrun with little green monsters.

Alien Welcome in Roswell New Mexico

Welcome to Roswell!

As we drove down the main drag, we noticed all the aliens immediately. They were out welcoming us in front of every business in town. Even the Super 8 motel had a little alien doorman standing in front holding a “Welcome” sign.

Alien welcome to Roswell NM at the Super 8 Motel

Super 8 has a special greeter..

All of these aliens are unique. Some are tall, some are short, some are cute and smiling and others seem distant and a little forlorn. But almost all of them are bright green with big heads and skinny bodies, and they all have large black almond shaped eyes.

Forlorn alien in Roswell New Mexico

This guy looks a little lost!

Some of them still live in their flying saucer spaceships.

Aliens with a UFO space capsule

An authentic alien spacecraft.

Even the local credit union pays tribute to Roswell’s unusual visitors.

Roswell spaceship bank sign

Look what showed up at the credit union.

A few aliens have gotten into the loan sharking business, doing taxes on the side.

Aliens at loan shop in Roswell NM

These aliens have money to loan…and they do taxes too.

A very Japanese looking alient has opened a sushi restaurant called “Galactic Sushi.”

Galactic Sushi in Roswell New Mexico

Japanese aliens serve up yummy sushi.

Down at the local Arby’s, management has figured out that Roswell is now completely overrun with aliens, and they know there is only one thing to do: welcome the aliens with open arms (and provide signage with alien translations)!

Meanwhile, the town leaders have hired a whole slew of aliens to become patriotic lightposts. These obedient aliens are all lined up in a row along the town streets, and they proudly hold the flag of their adopted country.

Aliens welcome at Arby's in Roswell

Arby’s welcomes aliens
— and provides signage in their language!

Alien lamppost with flag

Some aliens carry American flags
and light up the night.

The cutest aliens are all hanging out at the local Walmart. We saw them grinning and waving through the window as we went in to go shopping.

Happy outerspace alien faces at Walmart

The aliens are having party down at Walmart!

It was all quite overwhelming. We’ve never been surrounded by aliens quite like that before. It made us almost feel like aliens ourselves! We caught our reflection next to an alien in a store window that announced: “We’re Here!!!”

We're Here in Roswell New Mexico

We’ve landed…in Roswell!!

How did Roswell, New Mexico, become the alien capital of the world? A spaceship crashed here back in July, 1947. A local rancher was out with his grandson one afternoon, and they noticed some unusual debris scattered around. They returned later to inspect what seemed to be the bits and pieces of a flying saucer, and then the word got out — Roswell had been visited by a UFO.

UFO spaceship crash site of Roswell

Artwork on the side of a building tells the story:
The origins of the aliens-in-Roswell phenomenon was the crash landing of a UFO in 1947

A local media frenzy caught the imagination of the whole country, while little green aliens scampered all around Roswell behind the scenes.

Roswell Daily Record July 3 1947

From the UFO Museum – an original local newspaper from July 3, 1947.

Over the years, local artists have gone to town in this town, and now every sign and every building sports the image of an alien or a flying saucer. The artwork is stylish and captivating!

The alien zone downtown Roswell New Mexico

The alien artwork on the buildings is fabulous.

One artist channeled Da Vinci in a huge mural on the side of a building that depicts an alien’s hand reaching down to touch a human one. In the background, the UFO Museum sports a sign with an alien spaceship on it.

God humans and spaceship

A divine, no, an ALIEN connection…

Even the local coffee shops have gotten in on the act. They don’t sell regular coffee. They have Stellar Coffee!

Stellar Coffee from outer space

This coffee is truly stellar.

Not too far away, the King’s Treasure House sign sports a 3D coffee cup and offers inspirational books that are not of this world.

Flying saucer UFO in Roswell New Mexico

Roswell… not of this world!

We really enjoyed this artsy side of Roswell, New Mexico. The aliens made us feel welcome, and the graffiti and artwork is fun. Roswell is a town that is not only not of this world, it is truly out of this world!

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Southern Washington – Volcanoes, cranberries and FROGS! – Milton-Freeman, WA, is to FROGS what Roswell, NM, is to ALIENS!!

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White Sands National Monument – New Mexico’s Desert Dunes!

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February, 2015 – The first thing we noticed when we arrived at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, was the beautiful patterns in the sand. The wind leaves ripples across the sand, the way the ocean does at the beach, and the patterns wriggled away from us in semi-parallel lines as far as we could see.

Rippled sand of White Sands National Monument in New Mexico

We saw beautiful patterns in the sand everywhere.

When we first were driving towards the National Monument, we wondered where the sand was, becauase all we could see was vast brown landscapes all around us. But as soon as we got onto the Dunes Drive inside the park, the white sand enveloped us on all sides.

Vast landscapes and tiny person at White Sands National Park New Mexico

The landscape at White Sands is vast.

The sand was virgin in most places, filled with patterns that Mother Nature chose. But in some spots we saw the tracks of little creatures and the footprints of people, some wearing shoes and many running barefoot!

Sand Patterns at White Sands New Mexico

Ripples weave across the desert floor.

Animal tracks in the sand

Animals and people left tracks here and there.

 

There are hundreds of square miles of brilliant white sand in this area, and White Sand National Monument encloses 223 of those square miles. The sand is a crystallized form of gypsum that usually dissolves in the rain before being washed away. But this area is in a basin that doesn’t drain, which leaves beautiful dunes and “beaches” on the earth’s surface.

Standing on virgin sand

This is a unique landscape!

There are many different kinds of dunes, and sand piles, and flat open expanses of sand. Desert plants poke up through the sand here and there, and the light and shadows play with each other on the dune faces as the sun travels across the sky.

Plant and shadow in White Sands New Mexico

Plant and shadow…

Desert plants in White Sands National Monument New Mexico

Desert plants

We were enchanted by the patterns we found everywhere. In some places the sand makes crisp little ridges, and in others the sand undulated in large, soft waves.

Dodge RAM 3500 truck in White Sands National Monument New Mexico

Some of the dunes undulate in large, soft waves.

It was nearly Valentine’s Day, and Mark got inspired, drawing hearts and writing “Sweety” and my name in the sand. We played with making shadow puppets and made two wonderful hearts as we stood side by side. As we looked down at our perfect shadows on the ground, we both said simultaneously, “Now all we need is someone to take our picture!” Oh well, no one was around so we got just one heart shadow instead of two.

Sand swirls leading to a heart

We got into the Valentine’s spirit…

Shadow Puppet heart in the sand

…but with double-heart shadow-play, who takes the photo?

 

We were both drawn to the beauty in totally different ways, and we ran off in different directions to try to capture it. I turned around at one point and saw Mark lying down in the sand! Luckily, the sand brushes off really easily. His little bit of lolling around on this desert beach yielded some beautiful photos from sand level!

Getting down for a low shot of White Sands National Monument New Mexico

Mark gets low for a shot from sand level…

Blue sky at White Sands National Monument New Mexico

Nice!!!!

White Sands National Monument is a really FUN park. We watched kids making snow angels in the sand and families sledding down hills on flying saucers they’d rented at the visitors center. The beauty of this crazy sand paradise is that whenever the wind blows, the tracks left by people are erased, and the sand palette is wiped clean.

Brushed and rippled sand with grass plant

Footsteps leading to me in White Sands National Monument New Mexico

 

Like an old fashioned Etch-A-Sketch, or a sand castle made at low tide, you can leave your mark here, but only for a short while.

Desert plants in the white sands of New Mexico

The road that goes through the park isn’t paved. Instead, the National Park Service seems to use a snowplow to clear the sand to the sides! Some people bring their RVs down the Dunes Drive, but it looked like their wheel wells got pretty sandy.

Curving dunes in the sand in New Mexico

Plowed roads at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico

The Dunes Drive is a plowed road through the sand!!

Our visit was way too brief, and we didn’t get to see the magic hours of sunrise and sunset. Oh well — next time!!!

Motorhome and sand dune in New Mexico

We had a wonderful introduction to this magical place,
and we’ll be back for sure!!

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Arizona’s Eastern Chiricahuas – Finding Beauty in Devastation

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February, 2015 – The Chiricahua Mountains are a big mountain range that rises up from southeastern Arizona’s desert floor. They are one of many “Sky Islands” in the area that are filled with high altitude flora and fauna.

You can get to them from both the west, in Arizona, and the east, via New Mexico. The west side is home to Chiricahua National Monument, a fabulous area full of exotic rock hoodoos and hikes that climb straight up to grand views and plunge straight down to cool caverns among the roots of very tall trees. The east side is an extremely popular birding area, and birders from around the world walk the forest roads and prowl through the thick vegetation in search of unusual species.

Eastern Chiricahua Mountains Arizona seen from Portal Road

On the road into the Eastern Chiricahua Mountains

We have been to both sides, but on this trip we came in from the east. What a dramatic view greeted us as we turned onto Portal Road and began to drive towards the mountain range.

Chiricahua Mountains Arizona Visitors Center

The beautiful Visitors Center building.

The Chiricahuas hold a special place in our hearts, because we enjoyed many camping trips here with our popup tent trailer a decade or so ago, before we started RVing full-time.

Cave Creek in the Chiricahua Mountains Arizona

Cave Creek is at the heart of the Chiricahuas on the eastern side.

Every time we visited the eastern Chiricahuas in those days, the area was absolutely teeming with campers, hikers, scientists and birders. The region is very woodsy, and several absolutely charming little campgrounds are tucked between babbling Cave Creek and the soaring, sheer faces of towering cliffs.

RV camping in the Chiricahua Mountains Arizona

We had been looking forward to a return trip to the Chiricahuas for a long time.

When we used to drive the one road that leads into the heart of these mountains, we could always spot little trailers and tents between the trees, and we could always hear the voices of people camping and enjoying the area. Sunny Flat was our favorite campground, and even though our current RV would never fit into a site there, we were looking forward to taking a memory-filled stroll around the picturesque campground loop.

Cave Creek flowing in the Chiricahua Mountains at Dawn in Arizona

The river is tame and mellow…

Chiricahua Mountains at Dawn in Arizona

…the rock formations are majestic and striking.

What a surprise it was to stop in at the only store in the tiny village of Portal, Arizona, on the edge of this magical woodland, and discover that all the campgrounds on the eastern side of the Chiricahuas were closed. We were told it was because of the recent floods.

It had rained a lot a few days ago…had that caused huge flooding? The storekeeper was a little unclear. But when we drove in, we found the woods were deathly silent and the road over the stream to our beloved little campground had been gated since November, 2014. The sign made it clear that it was illegal even to set foot on the other side of the fence!

Road Closed sign leading to Sunny Flat Campground Chiricahua Mountains Arizona

The road into Sunny Flat campground is closed.

What a shame! We drove up and down this once beautiful road, and there wasn’t a soul to be seen. The campers were gone, the hiking trails and forest roads were all closed, and there wasn’t a birder to be found.

Waterfall in Arizona's Chiricahuas

Mild mannered Cave Creek, we discovered, can have a terrible temper…

Most shocking for us to learn us, however, as we were stopping at viewpoints and clambering over wobbly river rocks towards the little stream, was that the very tame looking Cave Creek had become a raging ocean of currents last September, and had cut a wide swath into the woods on both sides.

Downed trees were everywhere, and the more we walked along the river banks, picking our way between the uneven rocks, the more we realized the size and scale of the devastation.

Painterly effect on Cave Creek

We found (and created) beauty in spots between the destruction.

Bulldozers had piled rocks high in places, and they had dumped loads of trees and root balls in various spots too. The whole place was a total mess. There was still beauty here and there, and we enjoyed many hours of photography on the riverbanks, but the mood was somber, and we didn’t hear any birds.

Cathedral Vista Chiricahua Mountains Arizona

Cathedral Vista is a stunning overlook and easy hike.

Fortunately, the dramatic rock formations are unscathed, and Cathedral Vista was as magnificent as ever. We climbed up to enjoy that overlook several times!

Starburst in the Chiricahuas

The origin of all this devastation was a 350 square mile forest fire back in 2011. The loss of all that living vegetation destabilized the hillsides, and big rains this past October (2014) swelled Cave Creek beyond recognition. The rushing water in the river and torrential rainfall on the mountainsides caused massive erosion, toppling trees and cutting huge gouges in the riverbanks.

Starburst on Cave Creek Arizona

Who would guess this glittering brook could be so violent!

We were told that water covered the campgrounds completely, rising to knee height in the bathrooms and nearly sweeping them away. It’s not clear when the forest roads, hiking trails or campgrounds will reopen.

Pink and blue sunset with century plant in Arizona

A candy-striped sunset filled the sky one evening.

The eastern Chiricahuas are still a beautiful place, even if they are not as vibrant and alive as they once were. The sky took on pastel hues at sunset, and at one point I found myself standing right next to a deer on the totally vacant main road (blog post here).

Mark took some fantastic photos of a blue and white striped sky one morning, and we reveled in an incredible quiet that wouldn’t have been here otherwise.

Unusual skies over craggy tree

The heavens were striped white and blue one morning.

Soft striped skies with cliffs in Arizona

Striped skies over RV in Arizona

If you are planning an RV trip to the Chiricahuas, the western side and the National Monument are still open. Friends who were just there tell us the hikes among the hoodoos are as exhilarating as we remember. The eastern side still needs time to recover, however, although we still enjoyed our brief visit very much.

Dawn near Portal Arizona

We see a stunning view over our shoulders as we leave the Chiricahuas behind us.

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Florence, AZ – Few Tourists & Lots of Soul!

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February, 2015 – Florence, Arizona, is a historic small town situated about halfway between Phoenix and Tucson. One of the prettiest old buildings in the center of this town is the old courthouse. Its steeple can be seen peeking above the rooftops on the streets of the historic district, and when I saw the full moon rising behind it, I feverishly ran around in front of the building to line up the perfect photo.

“Can we help you?” An old guy standing with his friend on the steps of the courthouse yelled out to me.

“Oh…no — It’s the moon — it’s gonna make a great picture — with the courthouse and the lights…” I yelled back, waving my arms and sounding like a crazy woman.

He looked at me like I was out of my mind and nodded slowly.

Florence Arizona Courthouse with full moon

By the light of the moon – the courthouse in Florence Arizona

Just then, another crazed photo junkie came running out of the nowhere, his iPhone held high. He gestured towards the sky and the courthouse and yelled, “Are you doing what I’m doing?”

“Yes!” I laughed, and for the next few minutes we had a merry old time taking pics of the stately courthouse as the moon silently made its course into the sky. When our shutter clicks finally slowed down, he began telling me all about the beautiful cactus sightings he’d had while cruising around the desert in his jeep that afternoon.

His girlfriend suddenly appeared, and started telling me how much she loved this courthouse. “It has so much character!” She said.

Saguaro cactus balancing a full moon

A saguaro cactus delicately holds the moon…

They sounded like such tourists. I just had to ask where they were from. I was sure it would be Minnesota or Alberta or some other cold place very far away up north.

“I was born and raised in Phoenix,” The fellow grinned at me. “But now I live in Florence.” He wrapped his arm around his girlfriend. “Brenda grew up here in Florence.”

Florence Historic District

And that’s what made me fall in love with this town during our weeklong stay. It’s not the history, even though almost every building in town has a historic plaque on it, and many buildings are very cool adobe with massively thick walls. And it’s not the quaint main street, because, in fact, the main street of historic Florence is frighteningly deserted and not at all quaint at the moment. Almost every storefront sports a “For Lease” sign, and only a tiny handful are actually open for business.

Florence Arizona historic main street

Main Street

Nope. It is the spirit of the folks that live there that make Florence unique. They just love their special corner of Arizona, and we had one surprise and fun encounter with the locals after another!

The old Florence Hotel building stands tall and proud on the main street of town. In one corner of the building there is a little fudge shop which looks like it would be a trendy coffee bistro in any other touristy American town. When I asked about the coffee, though, the gal behind the counter shook her head. “We don’t have fancy coffee. We just have plain coffee. It’s a dollar a cup.”

Florence Arizona Historic District and Florence Hotel

The historic district — the Florence Hotel is on the right

Well, the truth is, it is specially brewed one cup at a time, and it was one of the tastiest cups of coffee I’ve had in ages!

As we prowled around the old Florence Hotel building, we found some photos of the building as it looked in its heydey at the turn of the last century. Other than the clothes on the people and the cars parked out front, it didn’t really look all that different!

Arizona Florence Hotel 1910

The Florence hotel in 1910

Late one afternoon we were out for a walk, and we heard live music coming from one of the town buildings. We heard a saxaphone and a little band playing “Summertime…and the livin’ is easy.” We walked closer and saw a big sign that said “Event.” Just inside a gate, we saw a cluster of people milling around along with three musicians making music on a porch, and there was a table covered with a table cloth where a woman was seling beer.

Aha!! This deserved an even closer look!

We passed a sign that said “McFarland State Historic Park,” and since this was a public place, we decided to go right on in! Beers in hand, we started mingling with the group, and we quickly discovered this was a monthly gathering for the community (held the first Thursday of every month). Someone handed us tickets for a raffle, and then suddenly everyone began standing up to introduce themselve and their businesses.

Florence Hotel back porch

Historic Florence Arizona flower box

 

When our turn came, we exchanged surprised glances and then blurted out the truth — we were travelers visiting Florence for a while, and when we saw the beer and heard the music, we just had to check out the party! That got a laugh, but we were warmly welcomed, and everyone came up afterwards and wanted to make sure we knew about all the various fun things there were to do around their town.

All the town merchants were at this gathering, from the manager of the local McDonalds to the folks from the hair salon to a couple of realtors. The band member who had been playing the stand-up bass turned out to be from the local historical museum, and she invited us to come by the next day. What a lucky break that was. The museum is a bit south of town, not near the historic district, and we might have missed it otherwise!!

1860 Antiques sign

Tourists, boutiques and trendy bistros are rare in Florence
but if you see this antique shop, do at least stop and feed the cat!

The museum has a huge array of intriguing artifacts, and the first things that caught our eye was the furniture made of saguaro cactus ribs. Those towering Arizona cacti that have their arms held eternally aloft are actually a melon-like material inside with a ribbed structure that gives the cactus its shape. This furniture turned out to be a very creative use of those ribs!

Saguaro cactus furniture

This furniture is made of saguaro cactus ribs!

Florence is home to the Arizona State Prison (Yuma’s Arizona Territorial Prison — the “Hell Hole of the West” — was moved to Florence from Yuma in 1908), and there is a grisly display of the various implements used to end the lives of the worst criminals over the years. A series of rope nooses fill a wall of glass cases, and inside each noose is the mug shot of a prisoner who was hanged.

Eventually, hangings gave way to death by gas, and in front of these nooses is the double chair that a pair of murderous brothers sat in when they were gassed. I wasn’t surprised that criminals were killed by gas in the 1930’s, but I was surprised to see that that method was used into the 1960’s.

Nooses and gas chamber chair in Florence Arizona

Capital punishment: nooses and a gas chamber chair.
There are grim instructions nearby for how to turn the gas valves on and off!

On a much lighter note, Florence was also home to the artist that penned the comic strip Gordo, and lots of comic books and mementos of his are on display.

We also saw a more benevolent use of gas in the form of an antique gas heater. I was amused that it was about the same size and shape as our little vent-free propane heater in our RV!

Comic strip Gordo

The creator of the comic strip “Gordo” lived in Florence

Antique gas heater

An antique gas heater — not so different than ours!

And if seeing the predecessor to our little gas heater weren’t enough, we also got a glimpse of the original 1-gallon wash-up technique that predated the 2-gallon showers we take in our RV today. Rather than a fancy shower wand and electrically pumped hot water, however, this early method consisted of a large ceramic pitcher and a basin.

Ahhhh the good old days!!

Antique tub and shower

The original 1-gallon shower…

Florence Arizona church

A church in Florence

So, if you are roaming around central Arizona in your RV looking for a place that has some heart and soul and some interesting history, check out Florence. Just don’t be fooled by the vacancies on Main Street. Looks are only skin deep!

Thick adobe walls in Florence Arizona

Thick adobe walls…

 

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The RV Show in Quartzsite AZ – More Than Just RVs!

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The RV Show in Quartzsite, Arizona, is one of the biggest and wackiest RV shows around. Selling everything from hydraulic leveling systems to Good Sam Club memberships to Watkins spices, it is the focal point for thousands of RVers who come from all corners of the continent to camp out in the desert for free and check out the latest and greatest in the RV industry’s offerings.

Quartzite itself is a totally funky and quirky place, full of interesting characters and odd sightings. We got a flavor of that from a few signs we saw outside business establishments on our way into the show.

Free Beer Tomorrow in Quartzsite Arizona

Oh, darn!

Parking is at a premium during RV Show week in this tiny town, and traffic is a dusty, snarly nightmare on the dirt roads that run between the flea market tables around the outdoor edges of the show. We had to laugh when we saw one exasperated vendor had put up this sign on the edge of his outdoor booth:

No parking sign Quartzsite AZ style

People from all walks of life flock to Quartzsite in January, and everywhere you go around town vendors are peddling anything and everything they can. The tiny town’s streets are overloaded with folks hawking goodies off open air tables under makeshift tarps. From pizza to homemade ice cream, food vendors had it all, and a pair of street musicians set up shop just outside the show entrance.

Singing for their Supper

Serenading show goers outside the show

There was good music inside the show too, and Johnny Goodrum, whose karaoke style crooning we remembered from our visit to the RV Show six years ago, kept the massive crowd happily entertained with his mellow karaoke style songs.

John Goodman sings at the Quartzsite RV Show in Arizona

Music inside the show!

Did I mention the crowd was massive? It was shoulder-to-shoulder, hip-to-hip throngs of people as far as we could see down every aisle, both inside and outside the big RV show tent. We shuffled along at a snail’s pace, watching salespeople demo everything imaginable. One of the first booths we saw was selling induction cookware, a boon for RVers who don’t want to heat up the inside of their RV on hot summer nights. This electric cooking system uses the magic of electro-magnetism to heat food without making the burner itself hot. It is fantastic if you have electric hookups but might be tricky for boondocking, as it draws over 1,000 watts, a big drain on the batteries.

Induction cooking booth at the Quartzsite AZ RV Show

Induction cooking booth

The RV Show is as much a lifestyle show for the senior set as it is a show for RVers, and along with practical goodies for RVing, there were all kinds of anti-aging elixirs promising a sip from the fountain of youth. Lotions and potions and drops of snake oil were in abundance. They could make wrinkles disappear, stop snoring, and put an end to migraine headaches. Foot baths detoxified your body and massage chairs relaxed aching muscles.

“I can fix your pain” One vendor called out to me as I passed.

“But I don’t have any pain!” I laughed back.

Wrinkles disappear ask here

Wrinkles be gone!

If a salve, or pill, or magic powder in a drink wasn’t to your liking, there was a hair salon booth that would happily give you a new do!

Hair Salon booth in Quartzsite Arizona at the RV Show

Get a new hairdo at the RV Show!

Lots of these booths had images of very happy older people looking quite young, but we were really taken aback when we saw a huge image of the svelte, bare mid-section of a young woman who was definitely not a card carrying AARP member just yet. Something about the almost provocative photography and the large amounts of skin showing on all the people kept my eye scanning the photos around this booth, and then I saw why. This was the booth for the American Association for Nude Recreation. And the salesman had a huge grin on his face!

American Association for Nude Recreation booth at the RV show

Why is this man smiling?!

“You meet the nicest people at the nude RV parks,” he was telling me as my eyebrows shot up in my head. “It’s impossible to be a jerk when your naked.”

Is that so? Well, I imagine that must be true…!

He suggested we stop by one of their 260 affiliate resorts and try out their special brand of freedom — a nakation! He went on to say that the AANR has been encouraging folks to get in touch with their own naturism for 84 years, and they now have over 200,000 members!

When I got back to the rig, I just had to check out their online logo-wear clothing store… what exactly would they sell? Ummm… jewelry??

Dog triplets in a baby carriage in Quartzsite Arizona

Triplets!

Buffs of going in the buff weren’t the only unusual attendees at this show. Dogs were in abundance. Most were wearing their natural furry birthday suits, but quite a few wore sporty jackets, and many of them never let their paws touch the ground. Dog lovers carried their pups in kangaroo pouches and other cuddly hugging sacks, and a huge number of adorable dogs were pushed and pulled around the grounds in strollers and wagons.

I knew the RV show was going to the dogs stood when I reached into a freebie candy dish at one booth and pulled out a dog treat!

Dog in a wagon

Riding around the show in style

The most fashionable pampered pooches wore sunglasses!

Dog in a four wheeler ATV

“I’m cool…!”

For animal lovers that didn’t have room in their lives for a canine companion, perhaps the funniest and most endearing booth at the show was the Sugar Glider display. This wasn’t some kind of fancy lazy susan to pass the sugar around the RV dinner table. These were adorable little marsupials that come from the rainforests of Indonesia and Australia.

Sugar Glider marsupial pet

Ever heard of a sugar glider?

A sugar glider breeder, who clearly loved his pets and his job, was very busy capturing peoples’ hearts as he showed the way these unique animals snuggle in your shirt and leap great distances (like a flying squirrel) from person to person. He explained that they are ideal pets for many folks because they sleep all day and want to hang with (or on) their owners after work in the evenings.

I was amazed when he described his breeding facility. He has a dedicated 2,000 square foot building for 400 breeding pairs of sugar gliders. They are the size of a grain of rice when born, and they spend 11 weeks in mom’s pouch growing from a virtual embryo into a furry little animal. They can glide for 150′ between treetops in the rainforest canopy, and a skydiver even released one at 10,000′ and glided alongside it (just inches from his hand) until they both reached 1,000′ when he tucked him back into his pocket!

Sugar Glider for sale at the RV Show

Sugar gliders make great pets!!

But between all these crazy booths, there were some things for RVers (and homeowners) that seemed really useful. One fellow was demonstrating the ShamWow towel. We have a few of those, but we discovered we had been using them wrong! Unlike a normal towel that you use dry to mop up wet things, the ShamWow has to be wet in order to work. You soak it, wring it out, and THEN place it on your puddle of spilled wine or coffee. Only then can the magic begin to happen. Who knew?

ShamWow towel demonstration at the Quartzsite RV Show

Moisten your ShamWow towel before using it!

Another guy did a fabulous demo of a miracle doormat. He was wearing big rubber boots and had a pail of very muddy water that he swished his feet in. Then he’d take two steps across the mat onto a clean sheet of paper (without wiping his feet!), and there wouldn’t be a drop or hint of mud on the paper, not even an outline of a footprint!

I watched him do it several times and then tried it myself. I asked him how it would work with dust since that is our biggest nemesis in our trailer. He said it would work great. So out came $40 from our wallet for one of these doormats. How could we resist??!!

And does it work? Well, we just had three days of muddy, rainy, yuck in Arizona, and our floors are clean. The trick, though, is that this floor mat has to be washed first. We tried it when we first got it home, and it was okay, but not super effective. Once we ran it through the washer (letting it drip dry in the sun), it worked just like we saw at the show. Pretty darn cool!

Miracle Doormat demonstration at the Quartzsite Arizona RV Show

One step on this doormat cleans the bottoms of those muddy boots!

Another nifty product we saw was a slick folding portable solar power kit. This would be ideal for RV weekenders and vacationers who want the freedom of solar power but don’t want the hassle of doing a permanent installation on their RV roof. The cool thing about it is that the two panels fold together into a hardshell suitcase that is easy to carry and has a built-in handle.

This clever foldaway system also protects the panels, so they won’t get damaged when you store them. When you set the panels up you can easily tilt them towards the sun with the built-in brackets so you can maximize their efficiency. Of course, this isn’t a huge full-timer’s solar power setup, as described here, but we would have absolutely loved having it when we traveled around on weekends and vacations with our popup tent trailer!

Portable folding solar panel kit for an RV

A wonderful folding portable solar power kit for RV weekending and vacations.

There were other fabulous booths, and we picked up memory foam pillows and fancy LED lights and other things we really didn’t need but just couldn’t resist when we saw them in action. There was one booth selling yellow brooms that everyone was buying. No matter where you turned, someone had a yellow broomstick in their hands. When we finally got down to their booth, however, the demos were over because they had sold out. Whatever those brooms can do, it must be really great! Oh well… next time!

Outside there were lots of new RVs lined up. We are partial to fifth wheel trailers, so we wandered in and out of a lot of them. One of the most interesting fivers was the Alfa Gold from Lifestyle RV. The innovative floorplan has a storage room on the driver’s side with a back door leading out to it and a big ramp door that opens to the ground. The model on display had a motorcycle ramp in this room.

Lifestyle Alfa Gold 5th Wheel Motorcycle Garage

How about a little garage or storage room off the side of your fifth wheel?!

Another model just has a storage room. You could keep bikes, a generator, the grill, camping chairs, patio mats, tables and all kinds of other big gear in this room. How clever!

Lifestyle Alpha Gold 5th wheel with storage room

What a cool idea!

So, those are some of the wild and crazy things we saw at the unusual Quartzsite Arizona RV Show. This RV and Home Show is a kind of three ring circus in the desert, and I don’t know what we liked most — the RV stuff or the quirky sideshows!

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Quartzsite Arizona – RV Madness in the Desert!

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January, 2015 – For the past few days, we’ve been boondocking in the heart of snowbird RV madness in Quartzsite, Arizona, alongside tens of thousands of other RVs. This is a wild and crazy place full of wacky seniors soaking up the warm sun and living it up in the desert.

Quartzsite is such a small blip on the map on I-10, between Phoenix and LA, that few motorists on the interstate give it the time of day, unless they need gas. However, flocks of RVs descend on it every winter, because of the massive tracts of BLM land (and free camping) that surround the town.

Boondocking in an RV in Quartzsite Arizona

Quartzsite is a haven for RVers in January

Stretching in a ten mile radius from the I-10 exit, the land is open, vast, and empty. It is also naturally hard packed gravel, which makes a perfect surface for driving and parking. RVers set up camp in the desert anywhere they wish.

Motorhome camped in the Arizona desert

When the annual week-long Quartzsite RV show starts in January, RVing groups of all kinds stake out sections of the desert as their own. The desert becomes littered with signs pointing to the various gatherings. We drove 13 miles to the northeast of town, to a far corner of BLM land on Plomosa Road.  We passed thousands of RVs randomly parked all over the place before we finally turned off the paved road and drove out into the desert ourselves.

Was this remote spot quiet? Heck no! We could see RVs parked as far as a half a mile or more from the road — on both sides!

Alpine Coach Association motorhome Rally in Quartzsite Arizona

Our campsite was just a few steps from the Alpine Coach Association rally

We rode our bikes around to check out the neighbors and discovered we had parked just a few yards from the Alpine Coach Association rally. Ninety Alpine motorhomes were lined up in a huge U-shape around a big tent (where breakfast, dinner and cocktail parties were held), and lots of members who couldn’t squeeze into the U were camped on the outskirts.

Montana fifth wheel RV rally in Quartzsite Arizona

The Montana fifth wheel circle was close to us too.

Just past the Alpine motorhomes, a Montana fifth wheel rally had formed an enormous circle of the wagons. Each Montana fifth wheel had parked facing outwards, and a huge collection of camping chairs surrounded an enormous campfire in the middle. We were told 70 Montanas had come to the rally, and dozens of trailers that didn’t fit into the circle were camped all around the outside.

Campfire wood and boondocking in Quartzsite Arizona

The heart of every gathering is the campfire — and you just can’t have enough wood!

Tiffin Motorhomes, Safari Motorhomes, Pacer Motorhomes and even a tiny Hitchhiker fifth wheel group had staked out places in the desert. But it isn’t just RV brands that bring people together for cocktails by a campfire here. The Roving Rods, several Escapees chapters, and other groups had gathered in various spots too. One had built a huge woodpile that would be burned each night throughout the week.

RV club signs

Groups posts signs so they can find each other.

We seemed to be in the midst of several enormous singles groups too. The Escapees Solos, the WINS (Wandering Individuals Network) and the LOWS (Loners on Wheels) were all camped near us.

Escapees Solos RV Rally Group

Some groups have flags too, like the Escapees Solos

Boondocking in Quartzsite is an art form unto itself, and we saw rigs of all kinds. Everyone is living on solar power or generator power, and some of the solar power getups we saw were fantastic.

Motorhome with solar panels

More Power!!

Because solar panels produce a lot more power in the wintertime if they are tilted to the south, RVers get very inventive with ways to get as much solar power as possible.

RV solar panel mounting system

Lots of people have unique solar power setups

Motorhome towing a utility trailer in Quartzsite Arizona

Everyone is towing something, and sometimes they even match!

Quartzsite attracts a wild mix of people and rigs. You never know what you’ll see.  One minute we saw a motorhome towing a trailer that had an elaborate matching paint scheme.

Class A motorhome towing a Class C motorhome

When one motorhome isn’t enough!

The next minute we saw a Class A motorhome towing a Class C motorhome beind. A mother-in-law suite! What next?!

Crazy painted bus

Some folks put art on their rolling homes.

There are homemade rigs, bus conversions of every vintage, and some really amazing paint jobs to boot.

The mobile RV mechanics have steady work during the winter months in Quartzsite, and we saw quite a few at the different rallies.

Mobile RV awning repair in Quartzite Arizona

Your awning all hosed up? This guy will come to you!

Mobile RV Glass Repair service truck

Need that huge motorhome windshield replaced? No Problem!

Awning specialists, RV glass replacement specialists and general mobile RV mechanics were on the loose out in the desert, and they were finding plenty of work, I’m sure!

RV Pit Stop in Quartzsite Arizona

RV Pit Stop — A drive through for dumping the waste tanks and getting fresh water and propane.

Near town there is a wonderful service station that we’ve never seen in any other part of the country: the RV Pit Stop. It offers all the basic RV services in a drive-through. You can dump your holding tanks, fill up on fresh water and get propane all at once. And propane at $2.30 a gallon is a sweet deal too!

RV camping in the Arizona desert

In Quartzsite, always expect the unexpected!

Quartzsite in January is a place like no other. Part Burning Man/Woodstock, part flea market, part trade show and part AARP convention, it has to be seen to be believed! If you’re looking for serenity in the desert, you won’t find it here. On the other hand, you might look up and see an ultra-light flying over your rig at dusk, and there’s something very fun and funky about that. And that’s the essence of Quartzsite!

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Balloons and VW Buses in Lake Havasu AZ

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January, 2015 – We started this year’s travels by heading to Quartzsite, Arizona, where the campfires are hot and the beer is cold and the RV madness is in full swing. The RV show doesn’t start until today, so yesterday we took a day trip to Lake Havasu to see the unusual RV rally of VW microbuses Buses by the Bridge. VW buses are gathering from far and wide this weekend in Lake Havasu State Park, and we just had to see the show!

Balloons at Arizona's Havasu Balloon Fest

What a surprise to see balloons flying overhead as we arrive in Lake Havasu!

We left for town early in the morning and were somewhat bleary eyed as we crested the hill just south of the city. What a shock it was to look up and see dozens of hot air balloons in front of us, drifting across the sky over the lake!

Balloons over Lake Havasu Arizona

A few balloons almost skimmed the water.

We quickly pulled over to take pics. Balloons were everywhere. They were flying high overhead and dipping their baskets down towards the water between the boats too. We watched them with delight and were soon joined by lots of other folks holding their cameras and phones up to get a shot.

Earth balloon at Lake Havasu Arizona

It’s a bird… it’s a plane… it’s Planet Earth!

“What the heck is this?” I asked the guy next to me. He said it was the opening day of the Lake Havasu Balloon Festival. What total luck!  We came looking for hippie vans and ran into a balloon festival by accident!

They began to land after a while, so we continued on to the VW bus festival at Lake Havasu State Park.

VW Microbus at Buses at the Bridge in Lake Havasu Arizona

Buses by the Beach in Lake Havasu

Microbuses of every year and in and every state of reconditioning (or disrepair) and in every imaginable style were lined up all around a field and along the beach. Everyone was camping out for the weekend, and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect.

VW microbus on the beach in Lake Havasu Arizona

Awning out and doors thrown wide, this VW is ready for some beach camping!

VW microbus Make Love Not War

Some buses have been perfectly restored and others have aged gracefully.

Vintage coolers and picnic baskets and antique popup tent campers and camp chairs filled all the spaces between the mini rigs. Volkswagon van lovers were hanging out everywhere comparing notes on their buses and showing off their very cool mods and restorations.

Volkswagon Westfalia buses at Buses by the Beach each in Lake Havasu Arizona

Lots of folks were camping in Westfalia vans

Everyone was reveling in a bit of nostalgia for years gone by, whether they had lived through those years themselves decades ago or had just heard about them from parents and grandparents.

Inside a 1960's hippie Volkswagon microbus

The Genie Bottle – a true Shaggin’ Wagon from the 60’s

I was enchanted by the Genie Bottle, a microbus with a submarine hatch that was the predecessor to the Westfalia style pop top vans. This was a true “Shaggin’ Wagon.” The owner, Nancy, had decorated it entirely in soft vintage materials from the 1950’s, using rich red and purple hues, and her husband, Mark, had lowered the floor so he could install a waterbed!

A waterbed in a VW microbus. What next?!

Hippie girl by her VW microbus at the beach

A young girl gets totally into the hippie spirit.

Lots of grizzled, grey bearded VW bus experts were selling spare parts of all shapes and sizes. More surprising was seeing a beautiful 14 year old modern day hippie girl with a long tie-dyed skirt, long blonde hair and bare feet selling paintings she’d made in front of her family’s VW bus.

Jerry Garcia in tie dye

Grateful Alive!

Mark was startled to turn around and find himself face to face with Jerry Garcia. He is alive and well and living in Lake Havasu.

Shasta Root Beer Volswagon van

Remember Shasta root beer?

21 window VW microbus in Lake Havasu Arizona

These folks are totally into their little buses, and one fellow even had a very cool six pack of beer called “Big Blue Van” which is brewed in Lake Havasu!! How fun! We looked for it in the stores later but didn’t find any.

Big Blue Van beer from Lake Havasu Arizona

Now we’re talkin’ — local Big Blue Van beer!

We’ve been to Lake Havasu before but have never gotten down to the beach. White sand had just been brought in recently, and the beach was so inviting. What a spot for a picnic!

White sand beach at Lake Havasu State Park

Life’s a beach in Lake Havasu Arizona!

Little party boats were taking people out onto the lake, and I wondered for a moment, “Is this Arizona or is it Florida?!”

An ultralight takes flight at Lake Havasu State Park Arizona

Here’s a great way to take in both the balloons and the buses!

An ultralight buzzed the crowd and then flew off over the lake. What a perfect day this was — our favorite kind of day: carefree and full of unexpected encounters!

If you are in the Lake Havasu area in Arizona, both the Havasu Balloon Fest and Buses by the Bridge are going on all weekend January 17-18, 2015, and the weather is going to be ideal — sunny and warm!!

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Cathedral Rock at Red Rock Crossing – Sedona AZ

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Sedona Arizona views around town are spectacular

Every road in Sedona is a stunner!

October, 2014 – After a brief stay in the mysterious and intriguing Navajo lands of northeastern Arizona, we headed south to Sedona.

We had spent several weeks here in the spring, but this is a place that deserves lots of return visits, so we were delighted to stop in town once again.

The spectacular views are utterly breathtaking, no matter how many times you have driven past them, and I couldn’t stop myself from getting some pics out the truck window — again!

 

Bronze sculpture of a painter in Sedona Arizona

A bronze sculpture of a painter recreating the scene while a little girl takes his pic.

The town of Sedona is a fun combination of funky, artsy, mystical and outdoorsy. On the artsy side, a large brass sculpture of an artist creating a painting on an easel stands in the middle of town.

The artist is painting the stunning mountains that line the horizon across the street while a little girl snaps a photo of him.

Skeletons outside a shop in Sedona Arizona

Two skeletons sit chatting outside a boutique shop.

On the funky side, two skeletons were sitting on chairs out in front of a boutique shop. They were gabbing away, as happy as could be. One of them waved “hi” to us as we walked past.

Another bronze sculpture depicts Sacagawea, the young Shoshone Indian woman who guided Lewis and Clark on their exploratory expedition of 1804-1806.

 

Bronze sculpture of Indian Sacajawea with her baby in Sedona AZ

A bronze sculpture of Sacajawea and her baby.

In the sculpture, she is carrying an infant in a papoose on her back.

Sedona is much loved for its mysterious and mystical side too.

There are vortexes in the area where people get in touch with their spirituality, sometimes experiencing unusual connections and awakenings

What we noticed, however, were the intense sunsets, a hallmark across all of Arizona.

Late one afternoon, the sky lit up in glorious shades of pink and purple.

Pink and purple sunset in Sedona Arizona

We see our first Arizona sunset after a season away.

During our previous visit we had seen some gorgeous photos of Cathedral Rock taken at Red Rock Crossing where Oak Creek reflects the brilliant red rock formation in its pools.

Cathedral Rock in Sedona Arizona

Cathedral Rock – without the reflecting pools!

Hiking along Oak Creek at Red Rock Crossing in Sedona Arizona

The hike along Oak Creek

There are two ways to get to this spot, either by going through Red Rock State Park or by driving down Verde Valley School Road to the end.

We chose the latter method and followed the trail through some woods and across a large flat grassy meadow where Cathedral Rock loomed at the far end, brightly lit by the afternoon sun.

Then the trail ducked into the woods again, roughly following Oak Creek.

Hiking along the base of Cathedral Rock at Oak Creek Arizona

A glimpse of the base of Cathedral Rock

At last the view opened up a little, and we could see beautiful red rock spires near the water’s edge.

It was a warm day, and we came across a group of people sun tanning on beach towels and wading in the water in swimsuits.

Besides getting a little exercise hiking, though, we were on a mission to see Cathedral Rock reflected in the watery pools, not to sun bathe. Unfortunately, we soon found out we were at the wrong end of the trail. So we turned around and headed back.

Passing the turn-off to our truck on the left, suddenly huge flat slabs of red rocks fanned out in front of us.

Kneeling in reverence at Cathedral Rock in Sedona Arizona

Mark kneels in reverence at Cathedral Rock — or is he checking the settings on his camera?

Recent rains had filled the crevices with water, making wonderful still, shallow pools that reflected Cathedral Rock in the afternoon sun — in bits and pieces.

The best way to get the reflections was to get really low or even lie on our sides and shoot across the water.

I walked across some dry rocks into the stream a ways and looked back to see Mark bending over his camera in a perfect image of solemnity and reverential worship at the foot of Cathedral Rock!

I had to laugh as I took his picture, and then I lost my balance and plunked one foot in the water, right up to my ankle.

Oops. Never laugh at someone enjoying a particularly spiritual moment, whether it’s with the Divine Essence or with their Nikon, especially in Sedona!

Cathedral Rock reflects in the pools of water at Red Rock Crossing in Sedona Arizona

Cathedral Rock is reflected in shallow pools by Red Rock Crossing.

Cathedral Rock in Sedona AZ is a perfect place for a portrait!

Sedona is for Lovers

Our stay in Sedona was just a few days this time, but we were so happy to be able to stop by once again and take in a few more of the exceptional sights there.

Here is some info about Red Rock Crossing:

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Trailer Life Magazine’s December 2014 issue features our article Arizona’s Red Rock Country, and you can read it here.

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Mysteries in the Navajo Nation, Arizona

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October, 2014 – The snow in Ouray, Colorado, had transformed the surrounding national forest into a winter wonderland. Each night we looked up to see a dome of sparkling diamonds in the sky. This was a perfect chance to do some astro-photography, and one night Mark got out all his camera gear and his jacket, hat, boots and mittens before going to bed.

Night sky in Colorado with the Milky Way

Stars glitter in the heavens over Colorado

Back of the truck with snow

Even our water bottles were dusted with snow!

Sometime in the wee hours, while I was groping around for another blanket to pull over my head, he snuck outside and got some beautiful photos of the Milky Way and shimmering sky.

Another snowstorm delivered another dusting of the white stuff on everything, and we decided we had shivered enough.

As that night’s snow melted during the morning, we packed everything up, hitched up the buggy and started to pull out.

Snow capped mountains and a lake in Colorado

Our views on the Million Dollar Highway were spectacular.

Well, we TRIED to pull out!

The nice soft dirt that had been under the fifth wheel’s tires when we first set up camp had transformed into thick gooey mud.

Despite putting the truck in four wheel drive, the tires spun like crazy, flinging mud far and wide and splattering the whole front of the trailer. But the trailer didn’t budge! Mark grabbed our shovel and piled dry gravelly dirt in front of each of the truck and trailer tires.

Golden aspen and snow in Colorado

Nature was showing the last of her vibrant fall colors.

After a few groans from the hitch, the rig slowly began to move. We were on our way.

We drove up and over 11,000′ Red Mountain Pass into Silverton and then over two more passes before we dropped down into Durango.

The truck was working hard as it pulled our house along, but it made it through the three big climbs and descents just fine. Mark had recently installed a K&N air intake and an Edge Tuner, and these gave the truck a huge power boost on the many 10% grades.

The scenery was gorgeous, and it was bittersweet to leave the glowing aspens and snow-capped peaks behind.

But the red rocks of Arizona’s Indian country welcomed us.

Driving into Monument Valley Arizona

Monument Valley.

We were on a mission to get to Phoenix, Arizona, so we didn’t dawdle anywhere. However, when the turn-off for Monument Valley slipped by, we did a U-turn and circled back to drive a short ways out on spectacular Route 163 towards the valley.

Monument Valley Arizona

Classic Arizona skyline.

Dream catcher for sale near Monument Valley Arizona

A dream catcher blows in the wind
at a souvenir stand.

We hadn’t done that drive in many years, but it was just as dramatic as we remembered it being.

This is an iconic place, and lots of Hollywood movies have been filmed among these famous rock formations (see a list here).

Monument Valley Mitten formations Arizona

Monument Valley is famous for its mitten formations.

We had recently watched John Wayne’s black and white 1939 classic film Stagecoach and his 1956 film The Searchers which pretends this incredible landscape is in Texas!

5th wheel RV at sunset

A full moon appeared at sunset.

Seeing these monoliths for real on the horizon was breathtaking.

The road into Monument Valley is dotted with simple little structures where Navajo Indians sell their jewelry, pottery and other crafts.

A dreamcatcher fluttering in the wind at one of these open air booths caught my eye as it twisted and turned against the backdrop of the distant red rocks.

I got chatting with the very friendly woman who was selling these trinkets.

Cow silhouette_

Cows appear on a ridge.

Navajo Indian hand painted Christmas Ornament

Hand-painted Christmas ornament

I remarked that she had quite a spectacular view out her “office” window and she smiled and joked that her twenty mile commute along these roads wasn’t too bad either.

I soon found myself picking out a beautifully painted ceramic Christmas ornament.

“Those are painted by my friend,” she said. “She makes each one by hand, and each one depicts a different aspect of traditional Navajo society.”

On our hike we suddenly see a red rock canyon

Rainbow canyon in the Navajo Nation

I looked at the ornament in my hand.

It occurred to me that even though we have driven through the Navajo Nation many times — it takes up a good 15% of Arizona in the northeast corner of the state — we didn’t know much about the people or culture that reside here.

Outside the craft shop two old Indian women stood talking together — in Navajo.

I tip-toed past very slowly, trying to catch the sound of their language that flowed so easily and freely between them.

Guttural, staccato and clipped, it sounded like no other language I’ve ever heard.

“We really need to spend more time here,” I said under my breath to Mark as we got back in the truck, wishing we could stay and get to know these people a bit and learn a little more.

Before I knew it, he’d taken a turn off the main road, and we were bumping down some side road.

He had us on a crazy detour that was taking us far from the busy Route 160 that zips through the center of this land between Cortez, Colorado, and Flagstaff, Arizona.

We drove along a variety of back roads, watching unusual rock formations rise and fall around us as the traffic grew lighter and lighter.

 

Hiking with views on the Navajo Reservation

Suddenly, the land fell away in front of us.

Navajo Nation red rock canyon hike

We were standing on the edge of a rainbow canyon that stretched vast and wide before us.

We ran out to take a closer look and found ourselves staring out at a massive bowl of towering hoodoos made of pink and red and white striped sandstone.

The spires were a thousand feet tall and the canyon stretched to the horizon.

What a beautiful and mysterious place.

Red rock canyon lights up in the morning sun

From what I’ve read, the Navajo are reserved and private people, and they aren’t quick to reveal the secrets of their lives. How fitting that an exotic natural treasure like this lies hidden in the vast wide open plains on their land, unmarked and unfettered by the trappings of civilization. We watched in awe as the sunrise slowly lit the canyon with a gentle glow.

Hiking through red rock hoodoos and canyons in Arizona

Desert southwest hike through red rock canyon of hoodoo formations

I wrote this post over Thanksgiving weekend, and an observant reader reminded me that Thanksgiving was, of course, a celebration shared by the Indians and the pilgrims centuries ago. The celebration took place in the fall of 1621 in Massachusetts, likely at the end of September, and was attended by 90 Wampanoag Indians and 53 pilgrims. The Navajo were a far distant tribe in Arizona, but they shared a similar spirit and heritage with the Indians of the Atlantic coast.

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San Juan Mountains Colorado – And then it Snowed!

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October, 2014 – When we first arrived in the Ridgway/Ouray area in Colorado, the aspen trees were just beginning their autumn golden glow. As the days passed, their colors intensified until we were surrounded by a vibrant mass of yellow set against a rich blue sky. Autumn is the harbinger of winter, though, and before long we found ourselves in the middle of a snowstorm. We have never been in a snowstorm in our RV, and it was quite exciting — and very surprising, as it was still early October.

Fifth wheel RV Ridgway Colorado fall foliage

Before…

5th wheel RV Ridgway Colorado snow storm

…during…

Fifth wheel trailer in the snow in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado

…After!

Million Dollar Highway Route 550 with snow Colorado

The “Million Dollar Highway” becomes a winter wonderland.


The snow fell steadily around us, and slowly a gossamer veil of white settled on our world.

There was enough of the white stuff to stick around awhile, and when we finally emerged out of the fifth wheel, the amber woods had become a winter wonderland trimmed in white lace.

We tip-toed around in total awe of the scene and took our cameras out for a drive along the Million Dollar Highway.

If it’s possible, the landscapes were even more beautiful now than before.

Aspens in autumn with snow in Colorado

Peaches and cream!

The snow on the orange aspen trees looked like peaches and cream, and the stately evergreens added dramatic accents here and there.

We were here because our friend Nasim Mansurov was conducting a photography workshop. One of the highlights was meeting John Sherman, a professional bird and wildlife photographer who was an instructor at the workshop.

He lives in a custom built Class C motorhome full-time, and as we tromped around in the snow the first morning after the snow storm, he suddenly appeared between the trees.

Evergreens and aspen in Colorado autumn snow

Gorgeous scenery all around.

He was shooting birds that morning, of course, rather than snowy landscapes, and he was using a staggeringly long 800 mm telephoto lens (yes, gasp, that price is correct, lol! Merry Christmas, anyone?!).

The darn thing is so big that the lens mounts directly onto the tripod (usually the body of the camera is what sits on top of a tripod). I just had to get a photo of him with this thing! See the tiny camera body on the end of it?

Pro Photographer John Sherman

John “Verm” Sherman and his LENS!

He ended up getting some wonderful photos of tiny birds high in the trees that we didn’t even know were there!

In the following days we got to know John a little bit.

Photographer taking photos in Colorado fall foliage

We were almost in a daze as we walked around taking photos.

He has shot two back covers for Arizona Highways magazine as well as some full page and two-page photos on the inside. How cool is that?!

He also writes for PhotographyLife.com and his posts are written with a wry sense of humor that always makes us chuckle.

Fall colors with snow in Ouray Colorado

The spectacular colors seemed even more-so after the snow.

His girlfriend Dawn Kish also shoots for Arizona Highways and has had more front cover photos on that beautiful magazine in the last five years than any other photographer.

Good Lord!! We were keeping some pretty illustrious company — way out of our league! — but we were learning lots and having a blast at the same time.

One evening John and Nasim did a critique of students’ photos, and it was a fascinating exchange between the two of them and each student as they went over the highlights and flaws in each photo.

Travel trailer in snowy Colorado mountains

This was cold camping, but oh so pretty!

Everyone in the room was able to see how a slight adjustment here or there would have transformed a good photo into a great one. Many photos, of course, were fabulous already and just got big nods of approval all around.

Out here in this newly snowy world, we were loving hanging around with a full-time RVer who shares our fascination with photography.

A deer by our trailer

This deer visited our trailer many times.

John is a rock climber as well, and was Senior editor of Climbing Magazine for years. He’s also written several popular books about climbing and bouldering.

Here’s a link to some of his very impressive work. Wow!!

This was a cold world up here at nearly 10,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains, but the wildlife was plentiful.

One night we listened to elk bugling all around us as we laid in bed. We didn’t see any during the day, but their high pitched calls filled the night air.

We did spot a little deer who hung around our trailer in the mornings and evenings for few days. We both marveled that he could manage all winter in this freezing climate.

Autumn leaves in snow

The bushes and trees hung onto their colorful leaves in the first snow.

He didn’t have an ounce of fat on him, and the fur coats that deer wear are not very thick!

Before the snowfall, he had come by our trailer one evening, munching the grass between the aspen. It was way too dark to get a photo of him, so we watched him quietly from our spot by our window.

After getting his fill of grass, suddenly he lowered himself to the ground and folded his legs under his body.

His ears twitched as he listened to all the night sounds growing around us. Every movement we made in the rig made his ears turn our way.

The night got darker and darker and he stayed put in his little spot.

Golden aspen in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado

If you have a chance to go to Colorado in autumn, do it!!

Snowy mountains and fall leaves in Colorado

An amber window on a snowy world.

Before long his head began to droop lower and lower, and in no time he had fallen asleep, right next to our fifth wheel trailer!

We were absolutely delighted. We had a special neighbor — and a trusting one.

When we got up in the morning he was gone, but the long grasses were all flattened out where he had made his bed for the night.

This was a magical time in every way. The colors on the trees were still vibrant, and the snow was a brilliant white in the sun.

Golden path near Ridgway Colorado

Treading down a golden path.

 

For a few days the trees and bushes hung onto their leaves tightly, cradling the snow that had fallen.

The photography workshop came to an end and everyone disbanded, but we couldn’t tear ourselves away from the beautiful San Juan Mountains.

We wandered down dirt paths and drove up and down the highways, catching each view in different lighting as the days passed.

A second snow storm covered us in another frosty blanket of white

 

Red Mountain Pass Colorado

Looking up towards Red Mountain Pass.

When we drove through the town of Ouray, we noticed that almost all the RV parks that had been full to overflowing two weeks earlier were now virtually empty.

The red “No Vacancy” signs on the hotels had changed to “Vacancy,” and the outdoor bar on the second floor of the Ouray Brewery that had been packed every afternoon since we’d first arrived was now empty.

It seemed like we were the last visitors in town! And no wonder — it was freezing cold.

In fact, when the snow fell the first night and into the next day, we were so focused on trying to stay warm that we didn’t really think about the other systems in our rig.

 

Fall colors in Colorado with a starburst from the sun

Mark does some starburst magic in the late afternoon sun.

Suddenly, near the end of the day, Mark gave me a lopsided smile and said, “You know, our solar panels haven’t charged one bit all day long.”

Huh? Oh, right, they were covered in snow!!

Oops!! He scampered up on the roof and found there was well over an inch of snow on top of them.

We had been running our electricity-hungry RV furnace almost non-stop all day, because the 10,000′ elevation was so high that our vent-free heater would run for only an hour or so before the oxygen detection sensor shut it off due to lack of oxygen.

Colorado Mountain stream with snow in autumn

Just beautiful…

Unfortunately, the furnace could barely keep up, and we were in shade until late morning. So, the batteries needed a little boost!

For the second time this season, Mark fired up the Yamaha 2400i generator to save the day and charge the batteries.

Motorhome on Colorado's Million Dollar Highway in snow

After the snow, the RVs left for warmer places!

The truly amazing thing about this underused generator is that, despite the cold, it started on the first pull, and it ran beautifully for the bulk of two days while we lived through this mini Arctic blast.

We don’t use that thing very often, and we sometimes regret the space it takes up in our rig as we chauffeur it around, but it sure comes in handy at times!

After the second snowfall, we sadly watched the colorful leaves fade to their winter shades. They began to fall from the trees like rain every time the wind blew. It was time to go! We packed up the buggy and headed up and over the Million Dollar Highway one last time — with 14,100 lbs of house in tow!

For more info on this stunningly gorgeous area, check out these links:

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