Our First Glitch

     Before leaving Portal, our good Canon camera was not working, so when we arrived in Las Cruces, NM, we made sure to find a camera repair shop. An easy fix, we hoped. We left it there, and went on to Alamogordo to spend some time at White Sands National Monument. Just in case, Lew did a little shopping to find a less expensive small camera (more versatile than a phone camera) to use while the Canon was in the shop. This is what he found:

It's little, but powerful, with a 25-250mm telephoto lens. And, luckily, it takes good pictures, because, as it turns out, the camera couldn't be fixed (we didn't know this until Friday, after we adjusted our plans and spent 3 days in El Paso, instead of going to Guadalupe Mountain National Park). The camera is now on it's way to the Canon repair facility in California. So all our pictures for at least the next month will be taken on this little gem!

     Meanwhile, in Alamogordo we celebrated our anniversary at the only "decent" restaurant in the town (Johnny Carinos!) and we enjoyed the scenery and quiet at White Sands National Monument. It is this expansive sandbox made from gypsum washed down from the mountains and ground fine by the action of wind and water. We took a couple of hikes on "marked" trails - marked by large posts in the sand - and Lew went back for views at sunset.

A giant white sandbox

This hike had a lot of ups and downs.

       We left White Sands on Wednesday and drove to El Paso, hoping that the camera would be fixed in time for Guadalupe and Big Bend National Parks. Instead, we spent 3 nights at the Fort Bliss RV Park and managed a couple of interesting, and challenging, hikes in the local mountains. All in all, we made the most of a bad situation and found we could be flexible when necessary.

Ft Bliss RV Park was very nice.

Looking back down trail to El Paso from Aztec Caves

A difficult climb and more difficult return from Caves

McKilligan Canyon in El Psso

     One thing about hiking in the southwest - you always have to be on the lookout for wildlife. This sign was no comfort to me:

     We left El Paso on Saturday and rather than driving all the way to Big Bend, we decided to stop at the Tumble In RV Park in Marfa, Texas. Why Marfa, you ask? It's located in the middle of nowhere, west Texas. Well, it's because my dad was stationed here for Advanced Pilot training in 1943/44. Unfortunately, the visitors center, which had pictures of what the town looked like then, was closed before we arrived. But it was fun to drive around and try to picture what this place was like for my parents, a couple of 20 year-old southern Californians who had never traveled before.

Original USO building, renovated, and now serving as visitor Center

      All things considered, broken camera, scrapped plans, this has been a good week. Lots of hiking, some pretty (and some dismal) scenery, a look into the past, and time to just relax. Now we are off to Big Bend and three Presidential Libraries in Texas.

Anniversary Reflections on The Journey

          47 years ago today, Lew and I began our journey as a married couple. Today, as we drive away from Portal, AZ, we begin the “real” part of our RV journey, leaving behind the familiar (California, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado) as we venture out into the unknown – places all over the country, few of which we’ve experienced before. The first 6 months were “scripted”, but from now on, we have a less defined path to follow.

March 18, 1972   So Young!

                What lay ahead of us 47 years ago was completely “unscripted!” Who could have predicted that Lew would stay 20 years in the Air Force? Or that we would have the opportunity to live and travel in Europe for three years? Or that we would become the proud parents of two incredible daughters and grandparents of 3 wonderful boys? We didn’t know how living in such disparate places as Neu Ulm, Germany, Panama City, FL, Eagle River, Alaska, or Colorado Springs would broaden our understanding of our world… teach us… change us. Or how parenthood would do the same! We didn’t know. But marriage is about sharing life’s experiences with another person. And that’s what we’ve done. It’s about taking joy in seeing someone else succeed and commiserating with them when things are tough. It’s about knowing that everything isn’t about YOU. It’s been a journey of self-discovery, a journey we have lovingly shared.

                This journey we are now on, a piece of the larger journey, has the potential to also change us, to open our eyes, to teach us about the world. Already, in being exposed to the Native American cultures of the southwest, our perspective has been altered and our appreciation for their tenacity and strength, for their values, for their perseverance in the face of adversity, has been enhanced. We continue to be surprised at how people in power have treated (and continue to treat) those whose way of life differs from theirs. And then there is the land itself, from the Rocky Mountains, to the canyons and red rocks of Utah and Northern Arizona, to the deserts and mountains of Southern California and Arizona. The geology, the violent and powerful cataclysmic forces that formed these landscapes, are incomprehensible and the beauty of it all sometimes takes our breath away. Not in such a hurry, not rushing from point A to point B, like we used to, we have allowed ourselves the time to drink in that beauty, that tranquility, that peace that nature provides.

Late afternoon hike in the Chiricahua Mts near Portal, AZ

                A solid marriage involves a large measure of give and take. It isn’t always easy, learning how to give yourself to another person without losing yourself, learning how to give in sometimes, when it’s appropriate, learning how to give another person space to be him/herself, or continuing to give the time and energy needed to keep the bond strong and the commitment real. And then there’s the taking, taking what your partner offers you with gratitude, taking the time to listen to one another, taking care to nurture yourself and your relationship. Give and take. Balance. It isn’t always easy! But the giving and the taking – it changes a person. I am not the same person I was 47 years ago, and neither is Lew. We have grown, separately and together. 

                There will be a lot of give and take on this trip. Living in such close quarters for such a long period of time? Yes, a lot of give and take. We think we can do this – after all, we’ve had a lot of practice. And we are learning to be quite flexible because things don’t always work out as planned. Maybe it snows when you had planned a hike in what should be warm southern Arizona! Or there are no places to camp with the RV, so you settle for a parking lot. Or you have no hook-ups and are freezing to death – well, maybe it’s not that bad, but it is unexpectedly cold. Sometimes we won’t want to visit the same things, but we will work that out, too. Lew gets to meet all my old friends from high school and college and I get to visit his cousins in Minnesota. He gets to visit car museums and I get to play a little tennis. We learn to accommodate.

Waking up to snow on March 16th in Portal, AZ

                A journey can be a trip, from one place to another. But it can also be a passage, from one stage to another.  Our marriage has been, and continues to be, a journey, a passage. We’ve gone from thinking only of ourselves to thinking about another person, to worrying just about the two of us, to considering the needs of two kids; from raising a family and earning a living, to being empty-nesters, to caring for an elderly parent, to being retired and free to pursue whatever we want. We are on THIS journey – this RV trip – because we are healthy and well enough off to do it. We don’t know what the next stage in our life journey may be, but we want to take advantage of the stage we are in right now, soak up everything we can, see the country, meet new people, experience new places – live life to the fullest, while we can. Isn’t that, ultimately, what the grand journey is all about?

And Around We Go Again

       We’ve been traveling for exactly 6 months – and sometimes it seems like we have been going in circles. Oh, wait…we HAVE been going in circles ever since we left California 5 months ago: circling the southwest, first in summer, then fall, and, lately, winter. We have enjoyed every season, even if the scenery itself isn’t changing, only the weather. We are back in Arizona now, for a few weeks, before the real adventure begins anew.

Sunset at my brother's house in Avondale, AZ

      As our last post indicated, after leaving our RV in Phoenix, we headed up to the mountains of Colorado and Utah. Our week in Breckenridge at our timeshare was wonderful – some quality time skiing and relaxing with friends, great skiing conditions (interspersed with cold winter storms), and, of course, my annual birthday massage at the spa. When the temperatures dropped into single digits and the wind howled, I did question WHY we do this to ourselves, but then the sun came out and the snow was perfect and the crowds had not yet descended, and I remembered why we love to come here in the winter: it’s the quiet peace and serene beauty. There are times when I accept that I don’t have to hurl myself down the mountain like all the youngsters around me; I can just enjoy the moment.

The storms and the snow kept coming as we headed to Utah, but we managed to reach Park City before the worst hit Sunday evening. Then, on cue, the sun came out and we had two great days on the slopes before the next storm enveloped us and the mountain.  The pattern continued and Friday was beautiful, so Lew got to ski with grandson, Phin, for the day, while I enjoyed the easier blue runs at Canyons Resort, Park City. We left the mountains to spend a few days in Salt Lake City over President’s Day weekend, celebrated Erin’s 39^th birthday (when did our “baby” get so old?), and, at Erin’s request, skied an extra day at Snow Basin on Monday, an unexpected treat and an incredible day of skiing under gorgeous blue skies. 

Snow Basin Ski Resort

Phin and Faraday, a moment of relaxation

AirB&B in Park City. Shoveling roof.

 We left Salt Lake in the rain on February 19, with plans to spend a few nights at Hoover Dam, naively expecting to be able to hike and enjoy warmer weather. Our plans were interrupted by yet another storm, bringing snow to the Las Vegas area Wednesday night into Thursday. We hightailed it south to Ft. Mohave, AZ, where we celebrated a friend’s 70^th birthday and enjoyed an evening of cards and laughter. We were greeted Thursday morning with more rain, but avoided the feet of snow in Kingman and Flagstaff, by heading south to Blythe, where we caught the I-10 into Phoenix. Phoenix, meanwhile, was getting over 2 inches of rain in 24 hours; we hunkered down in near freezing temperatures for two nights (without hookups) at my brother’s.

Looking out over Lake Mead

But things are definitely looking up. We settled into Leaf Verde RV Resort in Buckeye, AZ (30 mi west of Phoenix) to re-provision, reconnect, and review our plans for the next few months. During this week we  attended a Dodger preseason game and hiked to a nearby waterfall with my brother and some of his friends. We reconnected with a friend I hadn't seen in 35 years who just happened to be traveling through Phoenix.

Sarah Petty and me

We also reconnected with friends we met at Canyon de Chelly in October, with plans to attend the Indian Market at the Heard Museum (one of the artists on display is our leader from the Road Scholar program) and with two old high school friends of mine, which was great fun for me. Poor Lew – what a good sport he has been when I get on one of these nostalgia kicks! 

Bob and Donna Sioles, me and Bob Stamm. Class of '65

We are also reconnecting with Erin’s father-in-law and his wife, an artist, who happens to be part of the “Celebration of Fine Arts” in Scottsdale, showing off her talent and technique.

All these encounters have left us only a little time to hike and explore the environs. We took the 1.5-mile hike to the waterfall at White Tanks Regional Park with Don on Monday and another, longer hike along the Rainbow Trail at another local regional park, where the wildflowers were out in profusion. The weather has turned beautiful and we have loved having the chance to get out and move. Speaking of moving, I’ve also played a few hours of pickleball with others here at the RV Park. My game is coming along!

White Tanks Regional Park

Brother Don at waterfall - with actual water flowing!

Wildflowers in the desert on 4 mile hike

All in all, it’s been an outstanding month. We have learned one important lesson, however – you need to get reservations way ahead of time if you want to stay in Arizona in February or March. This has been, and continues to be, a challenge. We leave Monday for Tucson, with no place to stay except on our friend’s street. We hope to find a spot at the Air Force Base FamCamp, but it’s first come, first serve, so we will see. In ten days or so we will begin heading east to new “unexplored” territory in New Mexico and Texas. The real adventure is about to begin. No more circling.