Go West young man, well seniors too!

We really enjoyed Camp Hosting at Cherry Creek State Park, it was a wonderful learning experience and we met some of the friendliest people there. But all good things must come to an end. Or is it, that there are new adventures awaiting us? I think it’s a little bit of both! As part of our compensation we were given annual passes that are good at all Colorado State Parks.  Paul was given a "senior pass" which also allows us to get our RV sites for half price.  I knew he was a senior, but just didn't want to rub it in! *Grin  We’ll just have to make a trip back when the weather is warmer to use our newly aquired passes. Talking about the weather, we left the Denver area just in time, after a couple hours on the road, my daughter-in-law called and said, “It’s snowing”

One thing people don’t tell you about Interstate 25 in New Mexico, between hitting the border and Santa Fe, is how desolate it is. There are no billboards, no towns and no Gas Stations! We pulled into Las Vegas, New Mexico on fumes! Exit 345, which was the exit we needed for the truck fuel fill-up was closed so we drove down to the next exit and back tracked into town. First gas station we came to was closed, second gas station didn’t sell diesel, third gas station was boarded up. The truck was literally edging along on its last bit of fuel when we spotted an open gas station that sold diesel. Thank God! Now if we can maneuver into the pump without taking off the side of the rig, we’ll be okay. I don’t know why I worry so much, Paul has proved himself over and over at being more then capable of getting this 38 foot beast into and out of tight places.

On the road again and enjoying the warm sunshine and dry roads. The wind did get a bit gusty, and a High Wind Advisory was in effect, but the truckers all seemed to be doing ok and really, the winds were not that bad, otherwise I’d have made Paul pull into a rest area. About the rest areas along this route. They are nothing like the rest areas that we have used in the past. These rest areas offer no amenities other than a flush toilet and a sink to wash your hands. We drove until the sun slowly disappeared behind the mountains. Then it was instant darkness. Not wanting to drive in the dark we pulled in to a “No Facilities” rest stop. It was right along the highway and offered nothing but a parking spot. No problem for us, afterall we havre everything we need to have a comfortable evening.  We put on the heat, had a bite to eat and called it a night. The one amazing thing about being out in the middle of nowhere with no city lights, is the stars! Looking up on this cold, windy night, we could see the Milky Way and so many stars that it was easy to get lost in the moment. Well, almost, because the cold brought you back to the reality that if you wanted to star gaze, you had better get out the hats, scarves and mittens! Yep, it was that cold. A low of 20 degrees made for a very short star gazing night.

Woke up to a frost and wanting to get an early start, it was time to hit the road and find some of that wonderful elixir of energy we all call coffee! I realized this morning that my coffee maker will not run on 12 volts. We drove past Santa Fe, filled up with fuel, got the coffee and are heading to warmer weather… Nevada via northern Arizona! Okay, so it going to take us a couple cold and chilly days to get there, but when we do… ahh, warmer days and warmer nights!

Jo