Waltz across Texas and on to New Mexico

Leaving San Antonio early to avoid traffic we headed to NW Texas through major oil fields.  In Texas oil is king.  Presently oil is good due to inovative techniques acquiring and transporting it.

Subsequently Texans especially rural Texans near the oil fields are doing just fine.  People come from all over in order to work in the oil fields.  There is a housing shortage extending to a shortage of RV parking.  This becomes a problem when you need to park the land yacht for the night.

 Andrews Texas, in the oil rich Texas panhandle, has solved that problem.  Behind the Chamber of Commerce there are several RV support stations that can be used for 3 days a month with their permission.  Interpreted you have electric, water, and sewer as well as a potential for trash disposal.  What more does one need in a land yacht?

We have learned from other campers that one of these wind makers is needed if you want to spend time outside the RV while camping in the south in the Summer.  Some of the fancy ones will spray a mist as well.  They do make a difference.  The other option is finding shade and sweating without wind.

In the rural areas Walmart comes in handy.  You may be able to park without all of the utility support for free usually with their permission.  I have heard that Cracker Barrell offer similar support.  Their parking lots are generally too small for the land yacht.  Neither of these options work out for traveling during the summer in the south.  Air conditioning is mandatory.  Running your generator 24/7 is not an option.  For these reasons the docking at Andrews was a treat.  Every town should have this option optimally.

Truth be told this is not how it works out in the major metropolitan areas.  Walmart are usually restricted by law from allowing boondocking.  Land is expensive so the very few RV parks that exist can be exclusive.  Your rig is too old, law only permits so many days of rental, your dog looks mean,  and more often pets not allowed in our park are used as excuses for eliminating normal land yacht docking. 

Most often in order to visit major cities you have to park your land yacht 30 miles out of town and ride the dingy (tow vehicle) through traffic into the urban jungle.  We occasionly fight our way into the urban jungle for major sports events, restaurants, and events then ask ourselves "why".  There is a big country out there to explore easily by land yacht without these troubles and complications. 

The day that we spent at Andrews the thermometer reached 110.  Thanks chamber for the AC but we quickly decided to head for the hills in New Mexico in order to cool off.  On the way we went through the town of Roswell where they were quite proud of the space alien rumors.  There were several road side green people and space ships that were humerous.  No we didn't hove to with the land yacht in order to take pictures!

In the end we ended up docking around 7000 ft in a town called Ruidoso.  This is a town where Texans go to cool off in the Summer.  This makes it a busy destination resort with a lot of activities.  We found zip lines, 4 wheeling, mountain biking, hiking, casinos, horse racing and many good restaurants.  People reserve land yacht docking months in advance.  We were fortunate to get in due to a cancellation.  All of the attractions made for lots of traffic.  In the Winter this becomes a ski town.

The next day we traveled west back down to the desert and the White Sands National Monument then headed north.  We went through over 100 miles of desert without a single chance to refuel the land yacht.  Course planning became important in this area.  Note to self:  When you find fuel at the end of drought of services it is probably going to be at least 50 cents more per gallon than you usually pay.

Full Moon over rain clouds in Santa Fe

Our destination today was Santa Fe.  We found appropriate moorage along one of the major roadways into the city.  I went out for some provisioning.  Traffic was a huge problem even on the weekend.  I went down town and ended up on narrow streets, limited parking, many people visiting many art studios and many restaurants.  As with a lot of large cities the area was rather dirty with a lot of people asking for money; not always politely.  The avocados were hard and they were charging for grocery bags at the store.  No, we aren't in Texas anymore!  In case you can not tell; we have a preference for smaller and friendlier towns.

Rio Grande Gorge

Rio Grande Bridge with Taos mountains in back

We took a road trip up to the Taos area.  This major ski resort area also serves as a cool place to be in the summer heat due to elevation.  Along with the 13 thousand foot peaks the Rio Grande River has carved a gorgeous gorge.  The area hosts major musical events in the summer.  The whole area was beautiful and attractive but much too high in elevation for the land yacht.

Santa Fe has been the official capitol of the area for hundreds of years dating back to early native American times.  It has a lot of historical buildings and museums.  Several of them are made of adobe; straw and mud.

We visited another Diners, Drive ins and Dives restaurant, The Tune-Up Cafe, featuring El Salvadoran food.  I am a new fan of the Pupusas and pickled carrots.

Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of Italy, was originally an adobe chapel built in 1626, torn down during the Pueblo war and founded in 1714.  The present majestic structure was completed in 1887 with several updates since.  It is  one of the major draws along with the plaza to down town Santa Fe.

With the lack of down town parking we did invade on the bus.  You can often meet the most interesting inner city characters on a bus.  The price was right; free for Veterans.  

Next on to Colorado and Wyoming.