A Full Friday

Friday, September 30, 2016

We took off early this morning on a group tour that took us to Sandia Peak. The mountains are named Sandia (Spanish) for watermelon because from a distance the mountains are shaped like a watermelon slice! (Not sure I agree!).  The tram line sits in the Cibola (Indian for buffalo) national forest. We took the Sandia Peak aerial tram up the side of the mountain. The tram line is 2.7 miles long, and took us on a vertical rise of 3,800 feet to the peak at 10,378 feet!!  The views were enchanting as we crept higher and higher along the mountainside above the clouds.  You could even see some fall colors in the vegetation on the mountain slope!    At one point the conductor told us we were as tall as the Eifel tower, and only 7.2 seconds from the bottom of the mountain below!  There were beautiful views, especially with the clouds breezing by below us.  What an interesting ride.  At the top you could see for miles and miles.  We also learned a little about the mountains which were created by a gigantic slip of the earth’s crust called an upthrust.   Each tram car held about 50 people.  They said that there would be 25,000 people going up and down the mountain during balloon fest week.  That’s a lot of trips up and down!!  There is a ski area at the top of the peak that was opened in 1936..the first ski area in New Mexico.  Near the tram station there was a Ski Museum, and we found our ancestor, C.A. Lund, created skis!  Gosh, what an accomplished family…there are Lund Boats and now we discover Lund snow skis from the 1930’s!! 

We got our bikes out this afternoon and explored the grounds, and visited the International Balloon Museum.  It is an impressive place, built to look like a balloon laying on its side.  There is quite a bit of history on balloons and balloon travel.  Balloonists are called aeronauts (vs astronauts). There is quite a science involved in ballooning.  We learned that the reason Albuquerque is such a good place for balloons is due to the Albuquerque “box”.  The city lies in the valley of the Rio Grande, and typically there is a predictable wind pattern that balloonists can take advantage of to change direction by varying their altitude—i.e. there is a low air stream heading south, and a higher airstream heading north, (the “box”) so balloonists can easily manage their route, and stay in a confined area.

I was a little deflated when we came out of the museum and my bike tire was flat!  Apparently there are a lot of thorns in the area from the desert brush—they call the thorns “goatheads”.  We were warned about them getting in dog paws, but not in bike tires!   Luckily Jim came to the rescue and pulled out the spare with the tools, so we didn’t have to walk back.

As we returned to the RV area, we could see the motorhomes lined up all the way to the interstate, in a double row, waiting to get into the rv area.  It really does remind us of a NASCAR race, and made us very glad we were able to come in with our group yesterday and avoid the chaos.

We had a pizza and salad dinner, met some more good people, drank a Bronco Bud Light (even tasted different and weird!) Now we need to get to bed because things start very very early tomorrow…

The Land of Enchantment

Thursday, September 29, 2016

We crossed the border into New Mexico, which is called the Land of Enchantment because of its scenic beauty and rich history.  I think we are going to get a good taste of both during our stay here!  We reported in to our group and were one of the last to arrive.  There is a group of 110 rigs…that’s 220 people—larger than I thought it would be.  Everyone has an address…we’re in Row 22, site 11. It’s almost like a NASCAR race with all of the motorhomes around.  We are lucky that we are with a group that has a “premium” site…we have electricity and water, whereas most are “boondocking” (dry-camping, no hookups).  But, our power supply is limited…two people share a 50 amp circuit, so we have about 22.5 amps of power.  That means I can’t use the hair dryer when the AC is on, or we can’t use the microwave and toaster at the same time.  But, it’s very manageable, compared to the alternative.

We are in a big field next to the balloon launch site.   It is a flat, desert area, and again, poor Spot is missing his grass.   At the last event, someone went out and bought a roll of sod for their dog, and put it next to their motorhome!  I’m not sure we’ll go quite that far for our little buddy!

We had an orientation meeting to “get acquainted” and they introduced every couple here…took forever!  There are people from 31 states, and 2 couples from Canada.  About 1/3 of the group is from California or Florida—there are 8 couples from Indiana.

We had a nice social hour and Southwest Fiesta dinner of chicken and beef fajitas, with entertainment by two guys playing a Marimba…very enjoyable.

The evening ended with a pop-up rain and windstorm that passed through quickly and brought beautiful skies in the morning.   The actual balloon fest doesn’t start until tomorrow, but we woke up to balloons in the air everywhere you look.  Can’t wait…This is gonna be enchanting!!

Win some, lose some….

Tuesday-Wednesday, September 27-28, 2016
I saw this sign today hanging outside a motorhome.  “You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy an RV.  That’s pretty close!”  I thought it was pretty cute and very appropriate to display at an event like this.
We did a few more seminars on Tuesday and played a fun game called “Card Bingo” Tuesday night.  There were 300 people at $3 apiece, resulting in a payout pot of $900!   We played several hands, and the final hand was worth about $300.  It was a fun game, played with 4 people at a table and a deck of cards at each table.  The cards are dealt, 13 to each person, and the central “caller” draws a card from a deck. The person that has the called card discards it in the middle, and the first one out of cards yells Bingo.  Even though there is a deck of cards dealt at every table, there is a variable in how the cards are shuffled and dealt out.  They added extra drama, by telling the men to discard their spades, and the women to discard their hearts before the caller began. Jim and I were both losers at the card game, but we were winners in meeting even more new people, and having a good time!
Jim continued to go to seminars on Wednesday to win some new knowledge, while I went to the craft fair, the ice cream social and the session on Barbershop quartet!  (I guess we’re both getting educated…just in different ways.)  At the craft fair I lost some money…but for a good reason.  I bought a book written by one of the participants…”The WWII Diary of a German Soldier”—her father’s diary of his time in the War.  It’s a fascinating story, and even more fascinating to meet the author (Helga Herzog) and hear her tell about how the book came about, and her journey transcribing the diary.   Another interesting twist is that she is a friend of our friends that live in The Villages in Florida!  Another small world experience! 
Jim washed the coach to keep it looking spiffy.    But it’s not quite as spiffy as the high-dollar coach across from us (a King-Aire) with the special “in motion” paint job. It’s the craziest thing…when you look at it one way, it’s green, but if you look at it from the opposite direction, it’s either purple or blue, depending how the sun reflects.  I wish I could capture it with the camera.
And, speaking of “spiffy”, we bought some new step covers for the Lundcruiser. They are stainless steel covers that replaced the carpet that was previously on the steps.  I think they look really nice, but Spot hates them…he won’t go up and down to get in and out of the RV!  He must see his reflection or something.  We are trying to convince him its okay!
One of the motorhomes on display has been SOLD!  I wonder how often that happens??  And, it was kind of neat that today was “Community Day” where they invited people from the local community to come out to the fairgrounds to see the motorhomes. 
The rally extends through Friday morning, but people are beginning to leave early—many are headed to Albuquerque for the balloon fest. Two spots have opened up by us, so we’re happy to spread out and enjoy the extra room. We also will be leaving early to get to the balloon fest.  It is about a 5 hour drive, and we have an orientation meeting at 3pm, so we will depart early in the morning.
Tonight there is another group event with a storyteller…a national Award Winner of the Storytelling Circle of Excellence, Bill Lepp.  I just hope he doesn’t keep us out too late, or we’ll lose again… sleep!

Learning more and sleeping less….

Sunday-Monday, September 25-26, 2016

Sunday was a day of rest, after attending Mass and getting a good breakfast.  We had a lot of good tv to watch between the race and the Colts game.  We were thrilled with the ending of the Colts game, and enjoyed watching #24 run up front all day…overall a good performance by both teams.

Sunday afternoon, Newmar had a “first-timer’s” orientation that we attended and we met several from Indiana…including one couple from Speedway, and one from Fishers.  We learned that the president of the Indiana state Newmar Chapter lives in our neighborhood!  She isn’t here, but we know where she lives because we’ve seen her DutchStar parked in her driveway as we drive to our house!  Again, a small world!  Here’s a picture of a guy that’s not a first-timer…he’s been to a lot of Newmar meetings…check out his name tag…you get an add-on tag each time you attend a rally.

The Opening Ceremony for the rally on Sunday night was a lot of pomp and circumstance, with singing of the national anthems for both the USA and Canada, (I didn’t see anyone kneeling) and a procession of flags from each state chapter.  They gave the final tally of attendees-- 440 Newmars and 150 of those are first-timers.  There are a few “SOB’s” (Some Other Brands), which are motorhomes from other manufacturers.   

On Monday the seminars began, and the exhibits opened.  We toured the new models, and after sticker shock (or maybe altitude sickness from the sky high price sheet) we learned that we like our existing motorhome just fine!

We did a little shopping in the vendor area. and attended seminars and learned about tires and sensors, learned a lot of practical tips for traveling in an RV and learned more about the Oasis heating system in our rig. 

We learned that tire maintenance and pressure monitoring is so important…a blowout can be devastating.  Here is evidence--one of our Alaska Buddies had a blowout on the way to trade in his motorhome for a new one…luckily he wasn’t hurt, and good that he had a motorhome lined up because he needed a new one after the accident.  

I found some more interesting license plates…while walking to the seminars today…just makes me chuckle every time I see new one! 

Here’s a matching set…one for the RV and one for the car that is towed…get it…Toad!

 

 

 

Tonight there was a big group dinner and entertainment by a really good bluegrass band.  But they kept us up way too late again!  More seminars tomorrow…so early alarm clock, and not enough sleep.  Having a schedule to follow is kind of like going back to work.

Interesting Lifestyles

Saturday, September 24, 2016

The group of people we’ve met so far at this rally seem to be a little younger than those we’ve encountered in the past (but not as young as we are!), and definitely more adventurous!  They are pretty clever too, as evidenced by some of the license plates displayed. 

Here are a few stories about some people we’ve met:  Karen and Allen retired and spent 9 years living on a boat, cruising along the east coast, Panama, Mexico and Venezuela.  They had fascinating stories about life on the water, including the price of diesel fuel in Venezuela (7 cents per gallon) but he was willing to pay double by making a deal with the proprietor to buy more than the 1000 gallon limit for foreigners!  They talked about having to anchor overnight and move due to the pirates!  They ended up coming to shore because Allen needed two knee replacements, and a few years later sold the boat and bought a motorhome, and now are living full time in their motorhome, travelling around.  They said RV life is easier than life on a boat!

Bruce and Sharon, a computer guy from Silicon Valley, and an elementary school teacher, retired and bought their first motorhome April 15, 2015.  They sold their house and have been on the road for over 500 days, and this is the farthest east they’ve been!  They decided to explore the country and decide where to make their home.  Interesting that they “took the plunge” immediately and have done so well with their first motorhome.  They talked about flying to South Dakota to move their PO Box (and residence) for a tax advantage. 

One single lady from Florida owns her own motorhome, and boasted that she’s been 6 months without a speeding ticket! (Hmmm…glad I’m not riding with her!)  She brought her dad along on this trip—he’s a regular at these rallys.

What an interesting group of people, each with a unique story.  Part of the intrigue is to figure out why people do what they do!

We ventured out this morning and were planning to drive to Pikes Peak to see what the race drivers contend with when they race up the mountain.  But, on the way a low tire indicator light came on, so we stopped to get the tire repaired…the front right tire had a nail it in—it was not quite flat but would have been soon.  Glad that it happened when it did.  Not good that it happened on a Saturday because it was so busy, but Discount Tire took good care of us and got us in and out in less than an hour and a half (with no charge!!!!). 

We decided to go down to the Riverwalk in downtown Pueblo and discovered the annual Pueblo Chili Festival.  It is a HUGE festival, with lots of chili peppers, booths, a farmer’s market, entertainment and riverside brews. It was shoulder to shoulder people walking through the streets.   They were roasting huge drums of chilies, and people were buying them by the bagfuls.

You could buy strands of chilis…real or glass!  And you could buy just about everything else from antlers to tshirts. 

We strolled along the riverwalk which was enjoyable with entertainment along the way.  Spot was glad to find a doggie drinking fountain on the path!

We grilled salmon for dinner and then attended the Rally opening concert featuring Grammy nominated Verlon Thompson, a country singer who ended up being quite a storyteller and played a mean guitar, but kept everyone up past our normal bedtime!  

Yikes Peak!

Friday, September 23, 2016
It was a power-packed day touring some of the iconic places in the area.  We saw and learned so much, I don’t know how I’ll be able to share it all. 
We began the day travelling to Manitou Springs to board the cog railway train to the top of Pikes Peak.  Manitou Springs is a city that developed around 4 naturally carbonated mineral springs.  This is the only city in the country where the springs are cold…the other springs are hot springs.  Anyway, these springs were thought to have healing powers, and many patients with tuberculosis were brought to the area for the clean, dry air, and the mineral springs.  Many were cured!  The houses along the hills are called “TB houses” because the 200 area doctors would house their patients in small cottages around their home to be able to treat and monitor their progress. ..just fascinating. 
The cog railway is the world’s highest and longest cog railroad and has been chugging tourists up Pike’s Peak since 1891!  Pike’s Peak is one of Colorado’s 14’ers…that’s what they call mountains higher than 14,000 feet, and Colorado has 58 of them, making Colorado the highest state in the country, with an average elevation of 6000 ft!  NORAD, the North American Command Center is located on one of the mountains, and they have facilities where people can live for 2 years.  Since 9/11, there are no tours of NORAD, and all we could see were antennas. 
The railroad goes almost straight up the mountain, with some grades of 25%—Yikes!  It is 7 miles up via railroad, but the road to drive there is 50 miles long!  It takes 6 hours to hike to the top.  The summit is above the treeline, and each mile brought colder temperatures.  By the time we reached the top, it was 35 degrees, and very very windy!  They had oxygen available at the summit house for anyone that needed it. 
The trek was worth it…the panoramic views were magnificent! That’s Jim standing out on the rocks, near the triangle time capsule that was put there in 1991. 
Katharine Lee Bates was inspired in 1913 to write America the Beautiful while standing on the summit at Pikes Peak, and there is a plaque at the top commemorating this.  It was truely beautiful with spacious skies and purple mountain majesties above the fruited plains! 
Our next stop was Garden of the Gods, a designated national landmark full of towering sandstone formations, created during a geological upheaval along a fault line, which pushed these rocks straight up from the earth.


There were plenty of interesting and unique rock formations, and Jim came to the rescue helping support the Balancing Rock…he had a lot of weight on his shoulders!
Our next stop was the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.  On the drive in, we were greeted by Diamond Lil..a B52 bomber perched proudly at the entrance—quite an impressive sight.
But, just as impressive was the Cadet Chapel with its 17 spires reaching skyward. Inside views were more spectacular with lots of glass and stained glass, creating a striking play of light streaming through the windows from the front, rear and sides.  There were multiple chapels…Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and even a sign for Muslim but it was closed.

The Air Force Academy grounds were impeccable, and the athletic complex was pretty unbelievable, with practice fields, a couple of buildings with an indoor ice rink, swimming pool, basketball court. 
We came home very tired after a long day.  We met some very interesting people, and I’ll report more on that tomorrow.