A day in the desert

Four adults plus two dogs in one 24-foot RV?  A bit crowded, but it works!  Kelly, Michael, Rossi, Ranger, Dan and I went to Anza Borrego Desert State Park for an overnight trip.  On Sunday it was extremely windy which made hiking and bird-watching a little unpleasant, so we drove to the Salton Sea, just to look around. Monday's weather was much better, and we were able to do two hikes, one in the morning with the dogs and one in the afternoon with the dogs left back in the AC.  The Navion performed well on the windy mountain roads, though it's a slow uphill climb.  After driving home, we had a great dinner at a local Mexican-vegan restaurant.  I think we ALL went to bed early after a tiring day.

Visiting Kelly in San Diego

We arrived in San Diego on Thursday afternoon and have settled in at Santa Fe RV Resort, right along I-5, convenient to Kelly's home.  Yesterday we went to the Safari Park (a branch of San Diego Zoo).  While others---and there were plenty of others!---were viewing the rhinos, giraffes, and apes, we wandered through the gardens and identified many local birds.  It was a beautiful place to spend the day walking around,   Michael was kind enough to dog-sit, so we were relieved of dog supervision for a short while.  Tomorrow the four of us, plus two dogs, will head to Anzo Borrega State Park for an overnight hiking/birding trip.

Arizona----but not for long

We left New Mexico with plans to get about halfway across Arizona.  But the scenery was so dreary and the road straight and flat, so we shot right through to a town about 30 miles from the California border.  Upon pulling into what appeared to be a nice RV "resort", we found out that the sites for those just spending one night were basically a parking lot.  At least we had lots of privacy!  It was in the upper 90's outside and the RV heated up quickly sitting out in the blazing sun.  Thank goodness for air-conditioning!

Today's 200-mile trip took us into San Diego where we will stay for about a week.  We are in another "urban camping" situation, just off I-5, but it's close to Kelly's apartment.  It has a pool, laundry, and beautiful landscaping---but dogs are restricted to a strip of land across the back of the park.  No walking them around the streets at all.  Oh well.  Ranger will be spending time with Rossi, with plans (already) for a trip to the dog park this afternoon.

Finally----a new state!

We are now in Rockhound State Park near Deming, New Mexico.  Our site is up against the west side of the Florida Mountains with a great view down into the valley.  The only problem is that there is a STRONG  wind---25 mph, gusts to 40!    Despite that, we'll get out on the hiking trails today, with plenty of sunscreen, hats, and water.  It's not as hot as in west Texas, and there's definitely a change in temperatures between afternoon and night!  It was in the mid-50's this morning, almost chilly. 
Dan's enjoying identifying some of the desert birds.  A good way to spend his birthday!

Hot times in West Texas!

We left San Antonio in fog and light rain, which continued for the first two hours of yesterday's drive.  About six hours later, we arrived at Balmorhea State Park.  This is the smallest park we've stayed in: a couple of dozen campsites, about a dozen motel rooms, and---what it is known for----a huge pool, fed by springs, which attracts large numbers of day-users, especially on the weekend.  Yesterday, the place was packed.  The campsites were largely taken up by groups of Boy Scouts (the second time this has happened at a state park on a weekend)---must be the time of year when they're all out for spring overnights. 

Last evening, and again early this morning, we walked about the park and did some birdwatching.  Since lunch, we've stayed in the RV, in the air-conditioning, waiting for the heat of the day to dissipate a bit.  Last night it got down in the upper 50's which was great for sleeping.

Ranger got a quick bath today and seemed to enjoy being sprayed with the cool water.  He's doing fine in the desert, as long as he stays away from those sandburrs. 

Last day in San Antonio

Today was a day of catching up on groceries, cleaning, and laundry.  On the way back from shopping we stopped at Mission San Jose, which was a good place to walk Ranger and take in a bit of history.

It was rainy this afternoon, but in between showers, I got in the pool, just across from our site---which felt great in the 90 degree heat.

At dinnertime, we walked across the street to a local Mexican restaurant where the waitress spoke very little English, but we had much better Mexican food than we did on the River Walk and for half the price.

Up early tomorrow for a long day of driving across west Texas, the longest day of driving we anticipate on the way to California.

More touring in San Antonio

Yesterday (Thursday) we took the river barge tour of the city, with an entertaining guide who provided lots of stories of local history and jokes.  Then we toured La Villita, a section of the city with art studios and craft shops.  Then back to our RV park for some time in the hot tub and a nice dinner.

It has been hot and very cloudy the whole time we've been here.  The locals are hoping for rain out of all these clouds, but so far, we were only sprinkled on a bit while downtown yesterday afternoon and we had a drizzly evening.  Meanwhile, it sounds as if the East Coast is getting plenty of rain!

Today will be a day of catching up: cleaning, shopping for groceries, and perhaps a stop at one of the nearby missions for the tour there.