Si Senorita

Momma just answered me with, " Si Senorita".  Now where did that come from?  Could it be all that New Mexico food being devoured...stuffed sopapillas, burritos, chimichanga, refried beans and of course chili...either green or red?

New Mexico is know as the largest producer of chilies.  Not only do their dishes come drenched in green or red chili, they use chilies for decorations.  Momma said you have to ask which is the hottest.  Sometimes it is red and sometimes it is green.  She wasn't sure if it depended on the cook or the chilies. She just discovered that it wasn't consistent.

Momma, Dad, Aunt Janice and Uncle Robin all loaded up and took off for the day.  Wow!  You should see the pics they took of the painted desert and petrified forest.  I'll attach just a few but Momma said that the pictures don't really do the actual views justice.  You need to go there and see it for yourself.  They entered the National Park in the morning and later, on the way out, the angle of the sun changed the painted desert adding more sun in some areas and contrasting shadows in others giving the view a whole new look.  Mother Nature is a true artist!

The wood now turned stone is even more beautiful when polished. There were numerous 'chunks' available for purchase in the gift shop with the most expensive piece being a good sized log...big enough to act as a stool....for $8000.   

Today they all headed out once again.  They crossed the border into Arizona  again today.  That meant another time change...still in the mountain time zone,  but Arizona doesn't participate in daylight savings time. This time they wound up in Window Rock on the Navajo Land.  I wish I could have been there to peek thru the window.

 The Park also is a memorial to the code talkers....the Navajo's who used their native language in WWII as a code.  If you'll remember back to 2002, there was a movie with Nicolas Cage called 'Windtalkers' that was inspired by the Navajo Code Talkers.

The Navajo Museum was very enlightening as it told the story of the Dine who were forced off their land but managed to survive and keep their culture and customs alive.  When they were forced off their land, they began to starve so they were given food...bacon, flour and coffee that they didn't know what to do with.  Many died from ingesting uncooked bacon and coffee beans prepared the same way that they prepared the regular beans they were used to eating.

They actually saw some wild life today.  Three deer crossed the road in front of them but they didn't stop for a photo op.  Now the prairie dog by the Museum was happy to have his picture taken.

I told Momma that he would have made a nice playmate for me.  She reminded me that I would have to share my food.  I'm glad the prairie dog didn't follow them home.  I'm not really interested in sharing food...unless it is Dad sharing with me of course!!

Now this prehistoric character joined the gang for coffee break.  He wouldn't  need to share my food, but he wouldn't make much of a playmate either being so stiff and metallic. 

Oh well, at least I won't have to share my backseat tomorrow when we travel into Colorado.

Hickory

.......on the road again

Can't a gal get some sleep, please.

Man oh man!  This was NOT a restful trip today.  I mean usually while we are tooling down the road I can catch some zzzz's but today....well that was a whole different story.  If it wasn't Dad exclaiming about the gorgeous view, it was Momma pointing out something that impressed her.  They sure enjoyed the views today.

 I have to admit, there is more green around us.  Now I'm not talking the kind of lush, roll on your back grass, but the prickly kind.  I think I'll stick to peeing on the rocks.

We arrived in Gallup, New Mexico and Momma said the gal in the registration office was just as sweet and willing to share all kinds of info with her.  New Mexico is the largest producer of chilies.  Red or green, everything is served with chili.  She got several recommendations for great Mexican food.
She also got some recommendations while at our coffee break stop today.  There was a restaurant there that served our favorite fry bread and Indian tacos.

Everyone went for fry bread except Uncle Robin who ordered the Indian Taco with red chilies.  They said it was the best coffee break stop this whole trip!  And then Momma stopped on the way out to chat with a gal familiar with the area and she told Momma if she enjoyed today's fry bread, she could recommend some places in Gallop, NM that are nearly as good so we could continue to enjoy the local dishes.

We got the rig all set up, I had my big bowl of dog food and just as Momma and Dad were ready to leave me to guard the rig, the wind picked up and a bit of rain started to fall.  After about 30 minutes, it was dry once again so they headed for the weekly local flea market.  When I asked Momma how it was, she said they never stopped.  Just as they approached, the wind grabbed the sand and tossed it in the air and the rain began once again.  Change of plans.  They went to Richardson's Trading Company and Pawn Shop so they could stay dry.

 Would you just look at all the pawned saddles. Over 1500 of them.  Holy horses.🐎🐎  Racks and racks.  More than the camera captured.

They also sold jewelry...Native American...the REAL stuff with prices to match; hand made Native American rugs....with prices to match..all in the thousands$$$$$; baskets and pottery mixed in amongst some museum type displays.  Cool place.

Momma said she liked the trash barrels located in the downtown area.

Each one had its own design.  They complimented the painted murals found in the area.

So tell me, does a rainbow at the end of the day mean it has been a super day?

Hickory
.......on the road again

Enchanting

Look what greeted us as we entered Enchanted Trails RV Park in Albuquerque.

No, no one is camping in it.  It is just for display. 

From what we have seen of Albuquerque, it seems to be a busy place but very clean and well maintained.

There are plenty of museums here.  As a matter of fact, Momma was almost in trouble today.  Dad picked out the National Museum of Nuclear Science for today's jaunt but Momma was distracted when she programed the Rand and they arrive at the Museum of Natural Science.  She said she smelled a rat right away because the trip didn't take as long as listed when they were researching things to do.  Dad said the building didn't even look right. But they reprogramed and made it the second go round.

I'm sure glad they didn't spend all day there.  Momma had bread rising that she needed to get in the oven.  Mmmm.....I just LOVE the smell of Momma's bread baking...but I LOVE eating it more.

Hickory

......on the road again

Lots of brown, rocks and sand

It's a good thing I'm used to peeing on rocks.  There is a lack of lush green in this area. The campground in Van Horn, Texas was gravel with a nice patio pad.

The view from the dining room window over the campground fence is a typical view over the last couple of days.

The view as we traveled down the road was very brown looking but had interesting mountain views in the distance as we zipped over the flat land with mild grades.

Until we drove through El Paso...

And on into New Mexico.  

We are currently in Deming, New Mexico at an RV park that looks very similar to our last park but without the cement patio pad.  We are also now on Mountain Time.  Does that mean I get to eat earlier?

Momma said it isn't all brown here as the cactus are blooming.

There are also pecan orchards that look well maintained and irrigated. 

Hey, Momma just made Raspberry Streusel Muffins for coffee break on trip day tomorrow.  

Would somebody PLEASE distract her before she seals them up in plastic?  I really am not fond of plastic but I LOVE Momma's muffins.  I heard Dad tell her to be sure to make a flavor that I didn't like.  Ha!  Fat chance of that happening!!

Hickory

......on the road again

Whew! I didn't blow away

I was so glad when I went out for my morning squat that the wind had died down to a tolerable level.  Yesterday I just knew at any moment my feet were going to lift off the ground and I'd be floating like a balloon on a string.  Hang tight on my leash Dad, I thought.

The RV Park owner said we are no longer in Texas Hill Country.  We are now in Texas Desert.  Not much moisture so not much foliage to keep the sand from blowing.

Just check out the crud showing on Uncle Robin's truck.  Thank goodness our Open Range has a color that semi-camouflages the dust, dirt and grime.  What that means is, up close it may look dirty but from a distance or in a picture it's not as bad due to the lack of contrast of darker vehicles.

Travel day again today.  Fort Stockton really doesn't have much to offer other than the big Roadrunner in the downtown square and a small museum...both of which have been seen a couple of times.
Time to move further west.

Ready to roll...

Departing Hilltop RV..

Nice blue skies for travel...

Different looking landscape for Floridians to view.....

With the winds at bay, Momma took the wheel.  She said it was the boring type of driving with straight stretches of road rolling out in front of you.


Tonight will be another layover in Van Horn...just a quick one nighter.  I must admit, these are good napping roads.  No bumps, dips and divots as we experiences on I-10 in Louisiana.  No sharp turns.  No big hills.  Just a few gentle elevation changes that the Ram walks right up and down.

Without the wind today, I even got to enjoy my dog bone snacks in the beautiful outdoors at coffee time.  It just doesn't get any better!

Hickory
....on the road again

The Rest of the Story

Momma said if I was going to tell the muffin tale, I needed to tell the whole story...even if it isn't quite so pleasant a tale.

On the travel day when I ate the 3 muffins, having to tear open the heavy duty freezer plastic bag...what a struggle but well worth it for sure..... we stopped midday for some lunch.  Now it was a horrible, windy, gusty, nasty weather day for being outside.  Dad pulled into an Exon travel station....the one that tried to rip Momma off and that looked just plain groaty..... to top off the tank and grab some lunch.  M & D decided to make sandwiches and eat IN the rig due to the killer winds.  No way were they going to even stick a toe in that restaurant.

Now I must admit, I was REALLY thirsty after my muffin binge so the first thing I did was gulp some water.  Now I'm not bulimic, I swear to you.  It was just when the water hit the bits of plastic that I had ingested along with the overload of muffins...well....I just couldn't control that involuntary regurgitation that followed.  

Dad told me I have got to get better aim.  I should have tossed the muffins on a throw rug or the vinyl flooring but instead, I hit the carpet in the bedroom doorway.  Momma made me promise...no pics. Sorry readers.  She said you may have the same reaction I did!

Actually, I didn't think it was that bad.  They didn't use a WHOLE roll of paper towels....close....but there were still a few sheets left.  And I realize that they hadn't had time to enjoy their sandwiches for lunch yet and my actions did nothing positive for their appetites.  Hey, if I had been a bit quicker, I probably could have saved them from any desire to even make the sandwiches. But the sandwiches were already made and my stomach was now empty so I had to put on my best pleading act to secure even the smallest of tidbit handouts.  Go figure...  
And now you know the rest of the story...as disgusting and embarrassing as the tale was.

Hickory
.....on the road again