Volunteering At White Sands National Monument

(White Sands, New Mexico) 68 degrees, blue cloudless skies

We have arrived at White Sands National Monument (part of the National Park system) and will be volunteering here until December 31st.  It is such a spectacular place and we are so thrilled with this opportunity.  We had planned to visit our friends who are volunteering here  after the balloon fiesta.  John and Eileen were our NOMADS leaders in Eustis Florida  last winter. 

Eileen and John

About a week before we were to arrive Eileen called and said "what are  you doing after your visit to White Sands?  Would you like to volunteer here for awhile".  Our answer was an immediate yes!  A couple that had signed up to be here had cancelled.  We quickly filled out all the paper work and talked to Becky, the Interpretive Coordinator.  In return for our site we will work four days a week with Friday - Sunday off. 

John will work out in the dune fields repairing fences and removing invasive plants (Tamarisk).  He will also do maintenance around the park.  I will work two days a week in the administration office helping organize the files and the other two days I'll work in the visitor center and give a sunset stroll in the evening.  It is a great opportunity for us and we are so grateful to our friends for recommending us. 

We arrived just in time to go on Eileen's sunset stroll. She has volunteered here for seven years and it is her favorite place on earth. Both she and John and have immersed themselves into understanding the dunes, wildlife, and plants that make up this special park. They were so knowledgeable and their love for this place is so evident.

Eileen beginning stroll

The sunset stroll lasts about an  hour.  This is something I will have to do in about two weeks.  Yikes!  I have a lot to learn.  She told us these are the largest gypsum sand dunes in the world.  We walked up and down three dunes as she told us about how the dunes are made.  She also identified  tracks of little animals in the dunes and told us about the plant life and how it has adapted to live in this tough desert.

Eileen had us dig in the sand and just a few inches below the surface we found that the sand was damp.  Amazing!  Water can also be found just 20 inches below the surface and this is one of the reason why the sand dunes have not blown away.  The damp sand sort of acts like a glue and only the surface sand moves.

So, how are these dunes get here?  Eileen explained that the dunes sit within the Tularosa Basin.  It does not have any outlet such as  stream or river. Usually gypsum just washes away but this special place keeps that from happening. It's like a great big bowl.

Gypsum liquefies in the surrounding mountains and flows down into the lake bed.  Over time the gypsum forms into crystals.  The wind, freezing temperatures, and collision of the gypsum crystals break down and eventually it all crumble and becomes this beautiful white sand. 

Here is a cottonwood tree that is trying to ride the sand wave.  Some of the roots are above the sand and the trunk is inside this sand dune  and started in the interdunal area (where the people are walking). It manages to live and ride the wave as the dune passes.  The tree may or may not survive after the dune passes. Sand dunes are always moving.  They can travel in some areas over 37 feet a year and others move only a few inches. 

Skunk sumac atop a pedestal

This beautiful pedestal may survive several dune passing.  The sumac (and other plants) can create these as the dune passes due to pressure, water, and roots creating almost a concrete substance.  Most of the wildlife hang out here.  The largest mammal is the kit fox.  He is about the size of chiwawa and weighs only four pounds.  He munches on mice, lizards, and kangaroo rats.  Larger animals usually do not live here.  There is not enough to eat and very little water. 

As the dune passes it leaves these cool footprints.   It is easy to tell where the huge dune has been and it's future travel. 

Dune footprints

Eileen's tour ended at the top of the dune just in time for sunset.  Perfect ending!  What a special place.  Check back soon to read more about this very special National Monument. 

Attending FMCA Rally In Farmington New Mexico (Four Corners Area)

(Farmington, New Mexico) 75 degrees, sunny

We left the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and drove north  up to the Four Corners area of New Mexico.  We are attending a FMCA (Family Motor Coach Rally) in Farmington.  It is a popular regional rally and there are about 300 coaches here at the fairgrounds  We have a water and electric site and within easy walking distance to all the activities. 

This is our first regional rally and we have enjoyed it very much.  It is on a much smaller scale than the large international rallies.  New motor coaches are not on display and there are  fewer vendors.  We joined a local chapter called Cuatro Estados (four corners) that get together in this area for monthly campouts.  They are an adventurous bunch and we liked some of the trips they have planned in the past.  They are going to Quartsite in January and we thought going with a group would be lots of fun. 

The classes that FMCA rallies provide are really great.  In the past we have learned so much from attending them.  We are much more relaxed now and picked some seminars for fun this time.  I attended one on geocaching. It was well presented and I found out there is a Droid app that can be added to my phone for $10.  It shows you where all the caches are in your area and by GPS shows you how to get close to where the cache is hidden.   The speaker told us there are one and half million geocaches hidden in the world.  Just in the area near the fairgrounds there are 45.  It looks like a fun hobby.  You can even download them into your Garmin and as you are driving it will signal that one is nearby.  The speaker was very funny and told us lots of stories about ones he has found.  There are even traveling ones you can pick up and take to another point.  The "owner" tracks where his cache on a website. 

John learned how to keep our aluminum wheels clean with some special products.  We will let you know how well it works soon. 

Yesterday, Jimmy and I participated in the pet parade.  It was fun.  Jimmy dressed up as a shark.  After all he loves Jimmy Buffett.  He did not win a ribbon but got a big bag of treats.  He was very happy. 

Vendors are very popular at these events.  It's a great place to get our favorite product to clean the coach called The Solution.  We purchased a flag pole to put up on the ladder in the back of our coach.  It can hold up to two flags and is easy to store when traveling.  I'll post a picture soon.  We also received a few  coupons to stay at some RV parks in the area.  We purchased a Wingman to add to our regular antenna. It is supposed to improve UHF band reception and performance.   

When we first arrived we went out to a interesting place called Bista/De-Na-Zin Wlderness to hike.  This is a very remote Corps of Engineers park about 37 miles outside of Farmington.  There are hikes that go out to some weird and interesting rock formations.  It is very desolate and a GPS is recommended.  There are not any trail markers, however, we were able to follow footsteps of humans and horses that lead out to the hoodoos.  Here are few pictures.  We also found lots of petrified wood (one log was over 40 feet long).  There is very little vegetation. 

Petrified wood

Petrified wood

 

We had read to be sure to hike out at least 2 miles. All of a sudden out of nowhere these amazing hoodoos appear. When we visited there was no one there. What an incredible place to see. The hiking for the most part is easy. Just be very careful because you can get lost very easily. 

 

 

 

Today was the highlight of the rally.  Several of the members had organized a four wheel trip.  We all met up this morning and drove out for some fun. There were a least 25 four wheel vehicles (mostly Jeeps). Some people in our group were very experienced but most of us were novices.  It was very well organized and several volunteers were at strategic points to show you how to get up or down a hill.  It was so much fun.  Below is a video with some pictures. 

We have only done this once before by ourselves in Colorado.  Going with a group is the way to go and certainly less stressful.  We found out there is a Four Wheelers FMCA chapter that has rallys all over the country.  We might have to check that out.  Our jeep would need some modifying if we got serious about this sport.  You will see a few of those folks in our group. 

 

Tomorrow we leave and head south to the White Sands National Monument.  We are meeting up with two couples that we worked with on a NOMADS project in Eustis Florida.  Our leaders (Eileen and John) are volunteers at White Sands and had invited us to come visit.  A few days ago Eileen called and said "so what are you doing this winter?  Would you like to volunteer at White Sands for a couple of months?"  So, starting in a couple of days we will officially be volunteers too with he National Park Service.  Life is good!



Whimsical Special Shapes - Alburquerque Balloon Festival

(Albuquerque, New Mexico) 68 degrees, blue skies

There are two whimsical  days during the Alburquerque Balloon Fiesta where special shaped balloons are on display.  They come in every shape and size and are so fun to see.  At night there is also a "glowdeo" where they stay in place and light up.  It's a wonderous site. 

There was a huge balloon cow named Airabelle sponsored by Creamland.  I put together this short video to show you how she was inflated from start to finish.  She is a cutie!

Here are a few of our favorites. 

Baby Bee

When pigs fly

Beautiful Butterfly

Darth Vader

The Joker

 

Click on the video for lots more!

So which one is your favorite??

Up, Up, & Away At The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

(Albuquerque, New Mexico) 75 degrees, clear blue skies

We made it!  For the past five days we have been thrilled by this amazing event.  It started off a little slow due to a lot of rain and high winds but the last two days were spectacular.  Our site was reserved almost a year ago and was located right next to the Balloon Museum and launch site in the VIP area.   It was $85 per night (no hook ups) and included two passes per person each day onto the field.  This was our first extended boondocking experience. 

This area is so convenient to all the balloon events.  It was an easy walk to the launch site.  Otherwise, if you stay in at surrounding campgrounds the traffic can be very intense.  Some of the balloons float right over your campsite.  Cool!

Our daughter flew in from Indianapolis and it was so wonderful to share this event with  her. 

Jen with the world at her fingertips

Our camphost friends at the National Forest, Sharon and Mike,  also met us there with two of their friends who live in Albuquerque, Kathy and Dave. They have attended many fiestas and have worked as volunteers in the past.  They really showed us all the ropes and cooked us a wonderful dinner on our arrival. 

The girls (Sharon, me, and Kathy)

The festival is made up of five separate events.  Each morning around 5:30 am the Dawn Patrol launches and checks out the wind patterns and reports back to the festival officials.  

On this particular morning 10 balloons went up.  The weather was very cool and the winds were low.  That's a good indication that the event is "a go". 

Dawn Patrol

 

The other balloons on the field get ready for the Krispy Cream Morning Glow by assembling and inflating their balloons.

Then everyone waits for the final decision.  One pilot told me that this sport is "a lot of hurry up and wait". At one point it was thought that the ascension may be up to the pilots discretion.  A bystander said that means "the bold go, the old stay, and there are not any old, bold pilots still alive".  :)

The zebra patrol are the launch directors and control when a balloon can go up.  They are all dressed in black and white and each one adds their own creative touches.  If you hear a whistle blowing that means a balloon is about to launch.  They do a marvelous job of managing the launch. The balloons are all inflating very close together and its amazing how they get each one out and up into the air. 

Zebra Patrol

Around 7 am the Mass Ascension begins.  It is amazing and being able to walk among all the balloons and watch them go up is breathtaking.  We estimated on Saturday there were probably 400 balloons in the air at the same time. 

In the evening everyone comes back for the Evening Glow and Fireworks.  There is not a launch at this event.  Instead, the balloons are all inflated and stay in their designated area.  The "glow" of the gas lights up the balloons as it get darker.  It was fun to walk around and see all of them.  At certain times the balloons all "glowed" at the same time.  We had a great time.   

Afterwards, there is a great fireworks display.  Tomorrow I'll post some more pictures and tell you a  about the special shapes event. 

Back On The Road Again–Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Or Bust

(Santa Rosa, New Mexico) 82 degrees, blues skies, slight wind

We are finally back on the road again!  We picked up the motorhome and transferred everything from our little trailer at the Air Force Base and took off.  What a great feeling to finally be back on the road. 

We drove about 300 miles to a beautiful state park on the border of Colorado and New Mexico.  Trinidad Lake State Park surrounds a Corps of Engineer Lake.  There are two camping areas most with electric only. We were lucky and found a full hook up site for $24.  There is also an additional state park fee,  however, we bought an annual pass and did not have to pay this fee.  The campground told us our site is normally the camp hosts but they are now gone for the season. 

The campground is very well maintained and some sites over look the lake but not very many.  There are only 4 full hook up sites (1,3,6, and 63).  The bathrooms are the best we have ever seen.  They appear to be new with beautiful tile and large showers.  They are coin operated. 

There are lots of trails with kiosks telling you all about the wildlife.  Rattlesnakes can be present!

It is a large lake which only had a few boaters while we were there.  There is also a primitive campground down by the lakeside.  We drove down there in our jeep.  It would be a rough trip for a motorhome. 

We will definitely return for a longer stay.  The next morning we drove into New Mexico.  The scenery is changing rapidly.  The terrain is now very dry with lots of juniper trees and cactus. 

We are staying for two nights in Santa Rosa Campground – $33 per night with Escapee discount.   This town is on old Route #66.  There is a car museum and remnants of the original road.  The campground is not all that great but it serves our purposes.  Almost everyone staying here is going to the fiesta.  Cool! 

Today we did a few minor repairs of the RV and lots of cleaning and laundry.  We will be without hook ups for about 10 days.  After the fiesta we are going to the Rocky Mountain FMCA rally being held at the fairgrounds in Farmington.

Have you ever scuba dived in the desert?  Well, there is a famous place  here called the Blue Hole.  It is an 81 foot deep artisan well and is a constant 61 degrees year round.  It was an interesting place.  No one was swimming or diving today. 

Afterwards we went out to the Santa Rosa Lake campground.  It is also a Corps of Engineer lake.  We did not know about this campground before arriving and it is much more our style.  The sites are electric only for $14 per night with water and a dump site available.  Each site has covering for the picnic table. 

The lake was very low due to the drought.  It is a nicely maintained park with two trails and a observation tower. 

Tomorrow we are leaving early and heading to the fiesta.  We are so excited.  Check back for all the details.