Day 3 at Pagosa Springs, Co. - 10/07/2011

Sometimes you have to go with the flow, especially when traveling during a transitional time frame.  An unexpected storm rolled into Colorado and most of the southwest, so we decided to stay put in Pagosa Springs to wait it out.  The scenery is so awesome and we decided that if we drove anywhere else, we would not be able to see the mountains.  Although the rain turned to snow, we knew that the ground was toooo warm for it to stick.

So our plan of attack to hang out in the hot springs, which was awesome.  We were there for about 4 hours, moving from 98 degrees to 110 degree pools of which there are 18 to choose from.  We met all kinds of interesting people while it continued to snow.  Not a bad way to spend the afternoon.

We got a break in the weather, so took some muddy drives out to see more fall foliage

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Even though we did not see any wildlife this trip out, we did run into a couple of uncooperative souls, who did eventually move out of our path.

It turned out to be a great day and was nice to be out and about.

That night it turned a bit nasty again and we decided that it was time to move on, as now the snow was beginning to stick to the ground.  Maybe we better get out while we can.  As wonderful as it has been in this area, we are not interested in spending the winter here.

Pagosa Springs, Co - 10/5/2011

We have left Albuquerque, NM to head for Pagosa Springs, Co. on a scenic byway.  Although it took us longer to travel to Colorado, we wanted to enjoy the transition from one state to another.  It was beautiful, but a rain storm had arrived, so some of our views were obstructed by clouds.  We will definitely make sure that in the future we will travel this road again.

This drive had so many variations in the landscape and Colorado presented a whole different look for us.  We were pleasantly surprised with Pagosa Springs, while it has majestic mountains surrounding it, there are large meadow type valleys spread around the area.

After having spend several days in a dirt parking lot in Albuquerque, we found our new home very peaceful and serene.

Fall had definitely arrived, with oak bushes, cottonwoods and lots of aspens in full color.

The deer were plentiful and we have enjoyed stopping the car along the side of the road to observe them, while they could care less about our intrusion.

This is definitely farm land and it looks like the old fashion "cattle drive" to move the cows from higher elevations to the lower pastures, is all done by cattle trucks.  We have encountered these trucks on all of the dirt and forest roads, much the same as we would see logging trucks as you round the bend.  It also appears to be horse country and we have seen some beautiful creatures.

We understand the weather may be changing, so we plan to stay put for a couple of days in this area.

3rd Day at the Balloon Fiesta - 10/04/2011

After having been around the Air Balloon launch pad for a couple of days, we decided to sleep in and do things at the RV.  Wrong!!  By 7am we heard this weird noise and realized that it was the burners on the Balloons, so we looked out of our windows and they were completely overhead.  Grabbed our cups of coffee and had another great show there at the RV.

While Darth Vader was quite impressive up close:

He wound up landing amongst the RVs, as quite a few of the other Balloons barely cleared the units and it was nip and tuck whether we were going to get hit.

In the middle of the RV park was a field, that became the main landing area, which they were targeting.

As the Balloons approached the field, they would yell out to the old folks for help to catch the basket to keep it from toppling over.  Jack ran out to help one of the pilots.

Of course, some of them did not quite make it to the field, but everyone was a good sport, helping and getting into the spirit of Ballooning.

We had some of our favorite characters.

So I think we are ready, to try our luck at flying, will let you know how we like it.

Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta - 10/02/2011

We have arrived at a huge parking lot of RVs near the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque.  We decided to stay in the thick of things and are very glad we did, as we feel we are getting the full effect of the event.

It is an incredible experience and wondering why someone had not suggested that we need to see this extravaganza.  There are over 350 hot air balloons participating and this is the only one where they let the observers walk on the launch pad in between the balloons.  Everyone was very polite and made an effort not to get too much in the way of the pilots trying to guide these tremendous balloons.

The first night we arrived was the "Glow" event, where the balloons stay on the ground, but run their burners to light them up.

So at 6am the next morning we hopped on our bikes and peddled over to watch the preparation of inflating the 350 balloons and the mass ascension into the air.

Besides the typical balloons, there were lots of character ones that delighted the crowds.  The Fiesta lasts for 9 days and they estimate about 100,000 visitors.

The weather was warm and clear, so the crowds enjoyed a summer like day, while we watched these balloons leave the park only to return over and over.  It was quite an event and we are so happy that we made the effort so we could enjoy it.

Santa Fe, NM - 9/28/2011

After spending an extra day in Roswell, NM to buy and install a new TV in the RV (not sure why, since we watch very little while on the road), we had a big decision to make about where to head next.  Our original plans were to go to the Carlsbad Caverns, south of Roswell and then head to Las Cruses. The problem was that our air conditioner went out on the Honda and the prediction for the upcoming temperatures were to remain about 95 degrees.  Also, Hurricane Hilary was hovering around Baja, threatening to come across AZ & NM. (It since has been downgraded and looks to not be an issue).  So we decided to head north to Santa Fe, then on to the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.  We did manage to buy a new part for the Honda, but will we ever be in one spot long enough to have it installed?  So on to Santa Fe----

We did visit Las Vegas, NM, but found Santa Fe to be a much more upscale town.  Previously, we have discovered where all of the old Mobile Homes are sent to and NM is covered with lots of single wide units.  On the other hand Santa Fe's homes are predominately built in the stucco pueblo style, replacing original rock small homes.

Santa Fe has a neat Plaza park with lots of shopping and restaurants around it and includes the Loretto Chapel.

The weather was beautiful and we had a fun time just exploring the old town area.

Our next adventure was to Los Alamos where the Atom bomb was developed.  They had a terrific museum about during WWII and the secret activities of the scientists that were brought into the area.  Lots of information about Nuclear development and all the necessary ingredients for a bomb, much of which was over my head, but interesting to Jack.

We checked out a local lake that was pretty dried up, but had a necessary sign for those that could not figure things out for themselves.

Well, time to head out for Albuquerque with lots of other RVs.

NMMI at Roswell, NM - 9/25/2011

Well, we have arrived in Roswell, NM for Family Weekend at New Mexico Military Institute to visit with Karol.

The weather was not too bad, but continued to warm up during the next couple of days.  Karol was happy to see us and we were very proud of her efforts during the activities of the weekend.  First day was spent going to Karol's classes and we got to start off with Choir, which is always a treat.

We got an opportunity to spend a little time with some of Karol's friends, Sage & Celina, while treating them at a local fast food called Sonic.

On Sat. the troops had formal inspection and each cadet is checked out for their uniform, gun and need to repeat any of the "Blue Book" rules that their superior chooses.  It is pretty stressful for the cadets, but second year students have a better idea of what to expect.

After the cadets personal inspection, the family gets to go into their barracks to see their room.  Karol had done a great job of cleaning her room and there is very little space to accommodate their personal belongings.

As the day continued to warm up to a 93 degrees, the cadets preformed a formal march for the families.  Only a couple of them fainted, compared to about a dozen last year.  The whole process with assembly and the parade means the cadets are in formation for about an hour and a half, so it is pretty impressive with their commitment to the troop.

A few pushups before letting the cadets go off for a mini furlow overnight.

And we were off in the RV to Riudoso, which is NM version of Big Bear (not quite), with Karol and her friend, Celina.  They got to try their hand at driving, in a control environment.

And talked us into the Bumper Boats with spraying abilities.  It cooled us off, but not much thought about what to do with 4 soaking nuts.

It was a good visit, but time for Jack & Pam to move on with their NM adventures.