City of Rocks State Park in New Mexico

We will be serving as campground hosts at this majestic state park until January 16. We are located midway between Deming and Silver City. This unique park was formed over 34 million years ago during a volcanic eruption. Over the centuries giant rock formations have been sculptured by the wind and rain, forming a square-mile of “streets, alleys, and rooftops.” The sculptures and pillars are wonderful to explore and climb. In addition to the campground are a botanical garden, visitor center, wildlife, and hiking trails. There are only 10 sites with hookups, but there are many “boondock” sites nestled between the fantastic rock formations. We see the sun rise every morning over the mountains which are visible from our bedroom window. In the evening, the sun sets right between the unbelievable rock formations in our “little city.” Four petroglyphs are visible among the rocks. There is no shopping, not even for a loaf of bread, for 30 miles, and cell service is limited. However, the wondrous beauty and tranquility of the area makes up for any inconveniences. Come see us if you are traveling through New Mexico on I-10! We are about 137 miles from El Paso, TX. We have all kinds of interesting visitors, even a guy with two parrots who share his sleeping bag. One says, "Rosie hasta poop." Jerry was afraid to ask about the other one! Two guys from San Francisco drove in with a vintage 1947 Coranado travel trailer. It was all original to include the ice box. What a treasure!

White Sands Missile Range

From the Balloon Fiesta, we traveled south to the White Sands Army Missile Range (WSAMR) located northeast of Las Cruces. The Atom Bomb was developed at the McDonald ranch house, which still stands on an isolated spot on this large desert post. One can tour the old house on April 1 and October 1 each year. Everything is Top Secret on post except the museum. The latter is small but provides a lot of information on the testing of missiles, planes and bombs. The Famcamp faces a magnificent craggy mountain that provides a terrific photo backdrop, especially in the morning when the early sun penetrates the rocks. The airplane shown above was used by Dr. Wernher Von Braun as he flew between White Sands and the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville Alabama. He is credited with developing the Redstone Missile.

The Mass Ascension

A terrific new Balloon Museum graces the launch area in Albuquerque. It has several interesting exhibits plus a rich history of ballooning. Man first defied gravity in 1783 when the French lifted the first hot air balloon near Paris. Since then ballons have served many useful purposes. Both sides used them during the Civil War for reconnaissance and to observe the positions of their adversaries. During WW II, the Japanese unleashed 10,000 balloons loaded with munitions hoping they would reach the U.S. mainland. The operation was a failure, but some of those balloons reached as far as Michigan. Seven people in Oregon were burned to death. They were the only casualties of the infamous balloon attack. The news was covered up by our government. In the early days of NASA, Astronauts and their equipment were first tested in balloons before they were allowed to enter space ships.

Today, on the last day of the Fiesta, all of the balloons were supposed to be launched in mass. However, the wind currents were such that the larger balloons did not risk the final event. However, the skies over our trailer were full of strikingly beautiful hot air crafts flying so low that we could see what the crew was wearing. One surprised us by landing about 30 feet in front of our Airstream. The pilot chatted with some of our fellow RVers for a few minutes, and then he took off again.

Vendors continued to hawk their wares until the very end of the Fiesta. This is a grand event for children of all ages.

International Balloon Fiesta

Early in our 2006 travels we met a fine Christian couple at the Fort Bliss RV Park named Junior and Phyllis. We did not have much time to fellowship with them, but they invited us to park with them at the forthcoming Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. As the time for the Fiesta grew near, we became more and more excited about attending this amazing event. It is the largest of its kind in the world. Junior and Phyllis were great fun, and after being parked beside them for three days, we now count them as special friends. We were glad that they had experienced the Fiesta on two previous occasions, as it would be easy for “newbie’s” to get lost among the 850,000 people and thousands of RVs who attend the various balloon launches. There were scores of vendors selling all kinds of food and merchandise. The traffic was horrendous, but a constant stream of shuttle buses provided transportation from the RV parking lot and the launching area. The balloons arrived in all shapes, sizes and colors. The first balloons we saw were the Dawn Patrol. A few balloons ascend before daylight to test the various weather patterns. Later in the morning, the dairy people sent a huge Holstein cow aloft, and she was “udderly” fantastic. Jesus was represented along with Noah’s Ark. In the photo you will see how Uncle Sam managed to get between them. Wells Fargo showed off a huge stage coach. NASA would not be outdone. The shuttle seemed to stay close to the American Flag. At the close of the evening’s events a gigantic fireworks display entertained the thousands of attendees. There were also Glowdeos. That was when the largest balloons remained tethered and huddled close together after dark. On the command of the announcer, they fired their burners in unison. The result was a huge Christmas-like display of huge lights and a plethora of shapes and colors glowing in the night. In all there were around 750 different balloons.

The Grand Tour of Colorado Springs

We were eager to see Dick and Anne, friends from Virginia, who now reside in Colorado Springs. Anne and Gloria worked together at Chantilly and Centreville High Schools. Dick is also retired Army, and they have a motor home parked at the Academy. Dick and Anne arrived Wednesday morning ready to tour us around the Academy. We began by visiting the magnificent chapel and watching the cadets march to lunch. We enjoyed a gourmet lunch prepared by Chez Dick and a tour of their lovely home. In the afternoon sunshine, we drove to the Garden of the Gods to view and climb the rocks; we were awed by their beauty. A marvelous view of Pikes Peak appeared through the rocks. Kissing Camels and Balanced Rock are just two of the many marvels in the park. The Garden of the Gods is a free city park opened in 1909 and given to Colorado Springs by a former President of the CB&QR Railroad. The village of Manitou Springs, offered interesting architecture amidst its winding, narrow streets. It resembles a modern day version of the Cliff Dwellers. Many homes are built on the mountainside and protrude like gargoyles on a castle. “How do they get up and down in the snow?” we asked. We concluded our evening with dinner in Giuseppe’s Old Depot Restaurant. A train periodically passed our window with shiny new silver cars filled with coal from the north and cars empty returning from the south. We chatted and filled our tummies with scrumptious morsels. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.

Thursday, Gloria did the laundry while Jerry took care of trailer and truck maintenance. The famcamp laundry was just up the hill from a busy train track. Gloria has an affinity for trains; trains loaded with coal from the Gillette mines in Wyoming passed every hour and empty coal cars were then returning north to again fill their bellies with coal.

Dick and Anne once again picked us up at 8:15 A.M. Friday. It was a fun filled day at the Royal Gorge. We walked the bridge, rode the tram on the return, and went up and down on the Incline Railway. The Bridge was built by Lon Piper, a Texas Engineer, in six months as a tourist attraction. It was completed and opened in December 1929. Piper wanted to build something that others in his field considered impossible. It is the highest suspension bridge in the world at 1,053 feet above the Arkansas River. The Gorge was discovered by Zebulon Pike in 1805. The D & RG railroad was later built for passenger and freight transportation. When the Bridge opened, a tourist train from Canon City replaced commercial rail service.

Sunday, the four of us attended chapel early and then ate brunch in our trailer. We made plans to have one more day of “we’ll pick you up at your door” service on Monday. It was a good day to do indoor activities and enjoy a driving tour of Old Colorado Springs. We marveled at the Michael Garman Gallery sculptures. His Magic Town exhibit enchants the old as much as the young. A nearby Chinese restaurant served up an exquisite lunch. We gaped as we approached the five stare Broadmoor Hotel and Resort Complex. The grounds are manicured and flowered in a manner suitable for royalty. A valet parked the car while we roamed the various public areas.

Colorado Springs and the Big Game

We stopped in this lovely city primarily to see old friends who have moved here from Northern, VA. On our first night we were treated to dinner by fellow full-time RVers, Larry and Katherine. They are members of our home church. They recently sold their Virginia home and hit the road in their motorhome. We also enjoyed an Italian restaurant dinner with Bob and Mary Ellen, who used to be in our Sunday school class. They also invited us to meet with their church friends at a Saturday tailgate party after the Air Force–Navy football game. They even brought a couple of big steaks for us to grill. The game festivities, complete with parachutists, jets streaking over the stadium, and academy bands, were a big thrill for us on a beautiful, sunny day. The game itself was less exciting, as the future Air Force officers seemed to sputter on the field. We loved seeing the Air Force Academy Falcon mascot swoop around the stadium and finally come back to rest on the arm of his cadet trainer. He is the only performing mascot in the NCAA. The famous Navy Goat was present to see his unsinkable team win. However, all he did was observe in an unemotional manner.

Denver, Colorado

We stayed in Denver for three days, but we took time away from touring to service our car and rest. Dakota Ridge is a wonderful RV park but a bit on the pricey side. Its pool, sauna, and clubhouse rival most good hotels. It is actually located in Golden, a suburb of Denver. Golden is home to the Coors Brewing Company and Colorado School of Mines. In the middle of town, along the banks of Clear Creek, is a small historic village with original buildings moved from the old Pearce Ranch. Not far from Golden is Buffalo Bill’s grave.

The Capitol of Colorado, with its gold dome, is a splendid architectural masterpiece. It is surrounded by magnificent flower beds. We arrived there just in time to catch an excellent tour, where we learned a lot about Colorado’s history. The Denver Mint is located near the Capitol. We visited the Mint Store to purchase some coins, but it was too late to get a tour. One could easily spend a week sightseeing in the Denver area and not get bored.