Prairie Dog State Park, Kansas

It sure was a pleasure to pull into a campground adjacent to a large lake, especially after driving through the plains of Kansas. As we pulled into Prairie Dog State Park we were treated to a scenic park with views of the large Reservoir.

We reserved a full hookup site with a concrete pad up on a ridge overlooking the lake. We felt sure it would be a great place to spend a few days. There was something else of interest to us at Prairie Dog State Park. Yes, it was the Prairie Dogs themselves and we were hopeful also to view a particular species living amongst them.

Prairie Dogs are known as a keystone species which is defined as an organism very important in defining the ecosystem. The Prairie Dog town was less than a quarter mile from our campground and was a fairly large colony. As the evening approached on our first day we walked over to see them.

While we enjoy watching Prairie dogs, our main focus was to see if we could find any burrowing owls. These interesting and somewhat comical birds live within the Prairie Dog town. While the owls can dig their own burrows to live in, they often repurpose abandoned prairie dog holes and colonize them.

Some think that they feed on the Prairie Dogs but they do not. Predators of Prairie Dogs are typically coyotes, ferrets and hawks. The owls actually live in a symbiotic relationship with the Prairie Dogs and they are such a delight to watch. While we also did a lot of hiking around the park, on the few trails that exist, our favorite was watching the owls. The two evenings we were there we took a lot of photos of them. What a great stop this was!

Rexford, Kansas

When we woke up in Raton, New Mexico, we checked the weather. Because of the forecast for storms we decided it was time to go. Our plan was to drive about 150 mi to John Martin Reservoir State Park near Las Animas, Colorado.

The Eastern side of Colorado is a stark contrast to the mountainous western side. We saw nothing but rolling planes and grasslands all around us. The campground at John Martin Reservoir was very pleasant with lots of shade trees and sweeping views of the lake. We enjoyed a walk around the lake as there was not much else to see in the area.

We once again cut this stay short and the next morning we moved on toward Burlington, Colorado. As we approached Burlington, we were having a hard time contacting the owner of the RV park we wanted to stay at.

We left several messages and texts and could not get an answer as to if we could come in early without having to pay a $10 early check-in fee. If I haven't mentioned it before, I hate parks who gouge people for miscellaneous fees at RV parks. Worse these additional fees are not mentioned on the website nor when we called to make the reservation. We found out by reading the very lengthy confirmation text where the fees were mentioned at the very end.

As we neared the town there was a Love's. We pulled into it to have lunch and see if she would answer our text or phone message. As we finished lunch and heard nothing from her, we decided that it was best to just move on, especially since the weather looked bleak for this town that night. We texted to leave a message we were cancelling.

As a result, our 125-mile drive turned into a 214-mile drive and we finally pulled into the town of Rexford, Kansas where we stayed at a park called the Shepherd's Staff RV Park. It's basically only about eight sites behind a religious retreat center with only one 50 amp site. It's a Passport America Park and $15 a night with full hookups. Check-in instructions were to leave a check in a drop box in front of the center and directions to the alley leading to the park.

Of course, we thought we had escaped all the bad weather in Colorado but a severe thunderstorm warning greeted us shortly after we set up camp. Fortunately for us the worst of it skirted around us. The weather the next day was supposed to be nice so we stayed one more day not only because of the price but we needed a break from traveling day after day after day, something we rarely do.

With nothing to see in the area we took this time to clean the RV and do some repairs. Our next stop will be Prairie Dog State Park in Norton Kansas where we plan to relax and enjoy not having to worry about severe weather!

Raton, New Mexico

When we arrived in Raton New Mexico, we settled in early enough to have time to enjoy the rest of the day. The rainy weather forecasted apparently (and thankfully) missed us.

Given this opportunity we drove our car up to Sugarite Canyon State Park. The park is in a beautiful part of the mountains outside of Raton, New Mexico. There are two lakes in the park, Lake Alice and Lake Maloya.

We didn't commit to a hike since it was still looking like it was going to rain. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the short strolls by the lake and loved seeing a variety of birds.

We drove back to camp and checked the weather to see if we could stay another day. Nope, storms were coming our way and by the next morning we decided it was time to move on.

The weather forecast was very dicey in not only in Raton but at our next destination as well. So, we're going to have to be vigilant and watch the weather to hopefully avoid any severe weather.

Our next stop was 151 mi. over to John Martin Reservoir State Park, a nice park in eastern Colorado. However, once again, our stay will be short because the weather the next day was looking ominous.

At least in the short visit to John Martin Reservoir we were able to have a nice walk around the lake. It's a beautiful wooded Park in the middle of a mostly barren area. We will continue to watch the weather and move along our path accordingly.

Bernalillo, New Mexico

Well, we were hoping to visit friends while staying in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area but Sharon caught a bad cold. Naturally, a couple days later I caught it as well so we told our friends we would not be seeing them this time around.

As a result, we haven't been doing a whole lot because we don't want to spread our illness to others. We have visited a few happy hours and did a little shopping but we do our best to stay away from people until we are over the crud.

We should mention that even though we were sick we went to Garcia's Kitchen to get Carne Adovada. They won the "Best of" Albuquerque for Carne Adovada so we had to try it. It was fabulous! Their red and green chili was also very good but quite spicy. We would return...

We did take a drive up into the Sandia mountains where we had fun birding and hiking. Temperatures were in the upper 90's at our campsite, yet it was in the mid to lower 60's on top of the mountain. Quite a difference and we certainly enjoyed the cooler weather.

Our 5 days in Bernalillo, New Mexico went by pretty fast and it was time to move on. We packed up the RV and headed on down the road.Our next stop will be a one-nighter in Raton, New Mexico. We only booked one night because bad weather is forecasted.

The drive to Raton New Mexico was uneventful and we pulled into our campground to quickly set up while hoping to avoid that the worst of the incoming storms.

Bernalillo New Mexico

Well as exciting as our drive was from Mesa, Arizona to Gallup New Mexico, the next day's drive was totally uneventful, just the way we like it. We left mid-morning from Gallup, New Mexico and filled up with some diesel in town before we left.

We hit highway 25 where the traffic was congested but steady. We were able to make our way all the way to Bernalillo New Mexico where we are staying at Coronado Campground.

Other than traffic, nothing eventful happened during our entire drive, just perfect! We are in a 30 amp site because all the 50 amp sites were taken and it's supposed to be pretty hot for the next 5 days while we're here. I guess we'll just have to adapt.

One of the nice things about Coronado campground is it's right next to Bosque Brewing. We can walk from our RV through a gap in the gate in the back of the brewery and be there in less than 3 minutes. With the view of the Sandia mountains from the brewery, it's hard to beat.

We hoped to visit several friends in the area during this stay, but Sharon caught a bad cold and we sure don't want to share it. Therefore we're biding our time and if she gets better we'll try to make a visit or two.

Also when the weekend passes, we'll make a drive toward the mountains for a hike in somewhat cooler temperatures.

Meanwhile, it's been almost a month now since my surgery and things are going pretty well. I faithfully complete my PT exercises and walk a lot since I cannot lift weights yet. I am anxious to resume life without restriction while knowing it's just a matter of time .

Plans for hitting the road once again…

Well the day finally came and it was time for us to depart Mesa Arizona! My physical therapist cleared me to leave and provided instructions to continue my PT at home. With temperatures in excess of 110° every day, I am really happy to be pronounced well enough to resume life on the road.

We began packing up the RV and preparing for our departure on Thursday. Our first stop would be some 270 mi away to Gallup, NM which would be a very long drive for us. This plan would hopefully take us far enough from the excessive heat and be at a place that was nice and cool.

We left first thing Thursday morning accomplishing our goal of an early start. We left Mesa and headed northeast toward Payson, Arizona following the scenic Salt River part of the way. We were on mostly two-lane roads. We began climbing the mountains and after about an hour and a half of driving we were in the pine trees with cooler temperatures.

It wasn't long before we hit our first of several road construction stops. The traffic delays took about 10 to 15 minutes each before we were escorted down a one-lane road while the other traffic waited for us. Just what we didn't want on a long travel day.

The rest of the day wasn't totally uneventful either as we had to stop twice because one of our side bin doors flew open while driving. This has happened before because we have one bin that is a recurring problem and will pop open on really rough roads like we were on in New Mexico.

The second time it happened was in a really intense wind storm due to an outflow from a thunderstorn nearby. I actually believe a wind gust blew the bin open. Pulling over to the side of the highway as well as getting in and out of the door of the RV was a challenge with the gusty winds.

We were almost to Gallup and really hoping there would be no more issues. Not so, as an amber check engine light decided to illuminate on the dash. We quickly analyzed the code displayed on our scanner. Fortunately, it only seemed to be a communication error so we continued on and would further analyze the code later.

We finally pulled into our campground feeling grateful that the challenges we had this day were minor albeit irritating. The check engine light turned out to indeed be a communication error code and I researched the steps to resolve it at the campground. We'll spend just one night in Gallup with temperatures in the upper 50s by morning. The plan will be to move on to Bernalllilo NM the next day.

Everyday is an adventure and this day certainly was but we are so happy to be back on the Road of Retirement.

On the road of recovery…

It's been about a week since I had my catheter taken out and I've already had my first two PT appointments as well. Things

are going great and I seem to be healing up pretty decently. After my second PT appointment, my physical therapist agreed that I'd probably be fine with only three PT visits instead of ten. That was great news because the temperatures in Mesa have been over 115 degrees several times and rarely will drop below about 110 this month. Even at night, the temperatures are often over 100° at 10 pm so we really want to head north.

It's been nice getting back to near normal health. I've been leaving early in the morning while it is still fairly cool (high 80's) and have been out for hikes at the Salt River as well as the Riparian Preserve. I find it nice to do a little birding and to get some exercise outdoors rather than only at the fitness center. Now that I'm getting better, it's time to start planning our departure.

Our current plans are to finish my third PT appointment this week and then head out of here by Thursday. It will be great to be back on the road again and I'm looking forward to it immensely.

Our first stop will be in Gallup, New Mexico for a night and then on to Bernalillo just outside of Albuquerque New Mexico for 5 or 6 days. It will be in the 90s there but that'll sure be a lot better than 115 and it will be in the 60's at night, so we're really looking forward to that as well.

We are heading to the north not just to get out of the heat as we need to have new levelers installed on our RV because our Atwood level legs system failed. One thing that was helpful was that I was able to remove our old Atwood level legs and all its components. I was then able to sell it all bit by bit on eBay which resulted in the overall cost of a new system being less than $1,000 out of pocket for our new levelers. We will have this done in Michigan in August which is where we're slowly headed.

Todays pictures are from our time birding the Riparian Preserve. Now it's time to start planning and packing...