Valerie and I have tried to figure out why our parents never traveled up this way to see these parks. They traveled for a year all over the USA in Rosie I, but seemly missed this area of the country. It is really sad as Dad, with his interest in archeology, would have thoroughly enjoyed them. The only thing we can come up with is that it isn’t on the west-east route to El Paso, Salt Lake, or Flagstaff, which were the routes we usually traveled as kids to see family, and I believe they traveled after we were raised. Friday, May 4th Canyon de Chelly campground. Starting mileage was 24830 with blue sky and 77 degrees at 1:30 when we began our exploration of the South rim of the park. The park consists of several ... read more

Tuesday, May 1st Happy May Day, Y’all! Blue, clear skies and 64 degrees. Fool Hollow State Park near Show Low, Arizona. Started off the morning by cleaning up Rosie inside and out as each camp spot here had a concrete pad to park on instead of the usual gravel or dirt. There were lots of ground squirrels and chipmunks out running around. Valerie was taking some pictures of the camp spot/lake and swimming along came 3 pairs of Canada Geese. Each pair had one goose in the lead, a row of 6-8 goslings, and then the mate bringing up the rear. All three pairs had this straight row, one behind the other. I hadn’t realized how protective Canada Geese were of their young, until this trip. This is a really nice State Park with wide spaces, ... read more

CABALLO RESERVOIR TO FT. BAYARD TO SILVER CITY, NM Friday April 27, 2012 8:45 and it was 68 degrees and clear. Thankfully after rocking all night in the wind, it is clear and has stopped blowing this morning. Mileage at start was 24202. Started up in elevation going due west this morning on highway 152 toward Silver City. Quickly climbed up into the Black Mountain Range. Real trees at last!! You don’t realize how much you miss them when you’re driving through miles and miles of desert with only shrubs, bushes or just grassland. We drove through the interesting historical mining town of Hillsboro that had some really quaint buildings. It was founded in the 1870’s after gold and silver was discovered nearby. The town developed into an important mining and ranching center and ... read more

High Island and Winnie to El Paso, Texas April 18 to 24th Starting mileage at 23085. Lots of wildflowers blooming now along side of the roadways and in the median. Mostly, in oranges and yellows. Real pretty white prickly poppy was also seen. Sadly, it is too late for the blue bonnets, but winecups and many cactus are blooming. Sure perks up the grey desert land, especially, a low growing cactus that is bright, bright fuchsia. Unfortunately, many, many plants in mile after mile of driving were dead or dying--- due to the drought, we think. We drove straight through Houston and its ‘burbs and then continued our drive west on Interstate 10 and spent the night at Palmetto State Park near Ottine. Nice tree shaded campground built in the 30’s by the CCC, so had ... read more

Part 1: Atlanta to Rayne, LA Starting mileage was 21749 with clear skies and temperature at 82 degrees. Valerie and I left after lunch and our last minute packing of the freezer and refrigerator food stuff in Rosie II. We spent the first night out at the Roland Cooper State Park in Camden, Alabama having taken the back roads and avoiding the interstate some. The park was nice with wooded spots on a lake; all hook-ups for $19.45 per night. In the morning, we continued to drive through forested, hilly land toward Monroeville. In Monroeville, we stopped to visit the old courthouse that has been turned into a nice museum in honor of both Harper Lee and Truman Capote. The courthouse was the one featured in the movie “To Kill a Mockingbird” with Gregory Peck. Apparently, ... read more