So we started moving again last week. We crossed the border into Arizona stopping in Holbrook. We had hoped to see the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest, but they were closed. I tried the back doors using fire roads, but they are blocked too. Never the less, there are many pieces of the petrified wood on display at rv parks, stores and gift shops. Actually, it is not limited to the park as this entire area is loaded with samples. We got some good souvenirs just hiking. Then, on to Williams, just 60 miles south of the Grand Canyon. And of course, it is closed. Again I tried the back door, this time going up to the park entrance and backtracking to the first fire road. Might have made it but the road is about 6 – 8 miles and not maintained, so the big truck couldn’t make it. Some friends recommended visiting Sedona, so we drove down and were not disappointed. The scenery is awesome. We also stopped at Bearizona, which is a drive through wildlife park. Bears, wolves, bison and more walk right up to the cars. And yes, Jim, real bears! Next stop is near Lake Mead. We’ll see what’s open there.

I’m not complaining, but I am getting bored. The sun damage rating is 10 – about as high as it gets. Skin damage can start in 15 minutes. But when sitting in the shade, the constant 7 to 15 mph breeze is actually cooling. We have put on the retirement list as #2 due to beautiful weather, great home values for the dollar, lower taxes than IN, and breathtaking scenery. last week we strolled thru the square in Santa Fe, nice but all closed. We drove above Los Alamos labs and it is one huge complex with even more little buildings scattered thru the nearby hills. Since we are leaving next Tuesday to head west, I wanted to see the Sandia Peaks again. Got a little closer to the edge this time (maybe too close). We will keep up our daily hikes, start putting things away, and be ready to move once again next Tuesday. Thursday we are due near the Grand Canyon. Our five nights there might be stretched out if they are still closed but set to open in early May. We already pushed Yellowstone back to June 1, but they pushed their opening back to June 15. So everything is fluid.

Needing to get our daily exercise, we decided to se the view from the nearby mountain tops, so we packed some snacks and headed up to the Sandia Peaks just east of Albuquerque. Normally, we could drive 20 minutes to the tram to the top, but the virus has it shut down. So we drove around the south end and started up. We stopped along the way to get out and hike at the 8500′, 9500′, and then up to the top at Sandia Crest which is at 10678′. We went up to the observation deck where the temperature was a mere 45F with 30mph + wind gusts and only about 100 yards from the broadcast antennas. When we got too cold, we drove down to the 10K trailhead to eat and enjoy the view. Over the course of several hikes, we covered over 3 miles. At this altitude that is great for me.

So on Tuesday, we packed up in Las Cruces and headed up to Rio Rancho, a far northern suburb of Albuquerque. We were due to be in southern Utah in less than three weeks, but Utah is closing attractions and campgrounds for safety. The Grand Canyon is next on our plan, but Arizona’s governor is asking the feds to close it to keep visitors from infecting the nearby towns. So we have decided to stay here for the entire month of April. There is a lot to see here without ever needing to be near anyone. Today we hiked in the Jemez National Recreation Area. We walked along streams carrying the runoff from the melting snow at the higher elevations. They are loaded with trout. We saw desert change to painted canyons to evergreen laced mountainsides. We got high enough to see the snow up close. Great place to get stuck!

Although may last post was put up today, it was written a week ago. Since then, the Coronavirus has really hit home. The metro area I was born and raised in is a hotspot for this disease. Some friends and family are working from home, some are laid off. Several of them are on the front lines saving others at their own risk. We are keeping you all in our prayers. Here in Doña Ana county, there are now 13 cases confirmed and we have been slapped into the reality that the fun is over for a while. I was looking forward to some good Mexican food but the restaurants are all closed. The state parks that we like to visit and hike in are mostly closed. We are taking out some of our stops to stay longer in others to lessen our travel. We traded our reservations for Las Vegas for a stay in the open areas of southern Utah. So, for now, we are taking day trips out to see the mountains. Here on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, the greenery of the midwest is replaced by the browns of the desert. The treetops have been replaced by mountaintops. The squirrels replaced by rattle snakes. I don’t get nearly as far on the trails here as we are usually over 4000′ high here in most of the parks. Next week we will be over 6000′. Please stay well, friends.

If you did not believe in the alien crash of 1947, a trip here may change your mind. In the International UFO Museum and Research Center you will pictures, document, artifacts, and testimonies that will convince you that there was a crash that was covered up in Roswell. The entire town is filled with pictures and statues of aliens and flying saucers.

Over the years, we have seen many caves and caverns, but the Carlsbad Caverns are really something to see. The main self guided tour is 1.25 miles long and reached via a 750 foot drop in an elevator. This Big Room tour includes the Bottomless Pit. Rock of Ages, and Painted Grotto. For those in really great physical shape (we are not), you can skip the elevator and descend thru the natural entrance, but that means doing that 750 feet down or up on your own. This is certainly a bucket list place too see.

From our next stop in Fort Stockton, we took a ride farther south to Davis Mountains State Park near Fort Davis, Tx. Hiking here, we were warned of the rattlers and the hog nose skunks, luckily we saw neither. In the park is a campground and a lodge. Because the terrain was so rough, we took three short hikes. To get to one, we drove the Skyline Drive. The views are spectacular as you cross the highest point in the park. The lodge has been done as small adobe houses. The trails are rugged and steep so we never got far on either. Digger does enjoy walking the trails, too.

Here in Sonora, we are at the western edge of the Texas Hill Country. We are staying at the Caverns of Sonora. It is a quite beautiful cave that is famous among speleologists, or cave scientists. It is not an RV park, but rather a parking lot with hookups for RVs. Most come to see the cave, spend the night, and depart in the morning. We stayed three nights as the peace and quiet in the evenings is overwhelming. Peacocks and pigeons walk by but warn you if you’re too close. Also, no tv, no cable, and minimal wifi.

Home to the Worlds Fair in 1968, San Antonio is a nice, quiet, and clean city with a lot to see and do. The most famous historical landmark in Texas is the Alamo and that is the center of this city. Nearby is the 750 foot Tower of the Americas that gives visitors a 360 degree view of the entire city. The walls facing the glass have panoramic pictures of the city that show where everything is in the city. On the wall behind you is the story of the Alamo and the battles for Texas between Spain, France, and Mexico. Then there is the well known Riverwalk – canals thru the center of the city with shops, restaurants, and music along the river’s edge. Ducks, pigeons, and other birds entertain you as you have lunch while also watching the electric tour boats glide quietly along. On the north side of the city is a really great botanical garden. South of the city center is the King William Historic District, a collection of beautiful homes built by wealthy Germans All together, a great place to live, other than for the string of 100+ degree days during the summer.