Zen Friday

Ten Thousand Waves got on my radar somehow. It's a highly rated spa experience just outside the Santa Fe city limits. Our luck prevailed and we were able to book treatments with only a day's notice. Early Friday morning we found ourselves transported to Japan. The 91 stairs up the lush landscape to the spa immediately settled our busy little minds and put us in a Zen-like state. We started our day in a private outdoor soaking tub with a personal sauna and cold plunging pool. It was heavenly to be in the woods naked.

We had some time to kill before our next treatment, so we relaxed in a glass room with floor cushions, blankets and soothing headphone music. Next, a couples Swedish
massage, Ashi Anma foot treatment and finally a Yasuragi head & neck treatment. The best spa experience ever.

Ten Thousand Waves also has a lodge and restaurant on property so we went to the restaurant for a late lunch. The food, saki and ambiance were also an unparalleled experience. Such an enjoyable day all around and the last hoorah for this trip.

Day Trip to Taos

Thursday seemed to be a good day to take a ride to the mountains. Taos is less than two hours from Santa Fe, so we were off exploring again. We enjoyed the early colors of fall in the higher altitude, some shopping at the quirky stores and had a great lunch at a local place on the way to the ski resort. Orlando's for classic New Mexican fare, which basically consists of chilis: red and green. Taos Pueblo was closed for the afternoon, but I promised Bill I would dig out my pictures of the historic little village from my visit in 2008.

Wednesday in Santa Fe

Once again, we hopped the bus to town after breakfast for another day of exploration in Santa Fe. The Georgia O'Keefe museum was our first stop. I didn't want our tour of the museum to end. I love her work.

I was on a mission to find a bobble for my finger: turquoise set in gold. Silver still rules in the southwest even in this modern era of gold everywhere.

We scouted out the galleries on Canyon Road, had a snack at Beestro's and back to our urban campsite with tired feet.

We were pleasantly surprised by our fabulous dinner in the garden at Midtown Bistro on San Mateo. Maisy, the black cat, was delightful company. Our two Urber drivers provided great interaction, too.

Historic Downtown Santa Fe

It was a brisk 48° Tuesday morning. Now this is what I've been waiting for! By afternoon it was up to 78°. Perfect.

We hopped the #2 city bus right around our corner and paid $1 for a day pass. Yes, I'm officially in the senior status for discounts. The real Santa Fe was evident on our 30 minute ride to historic downtown Santa Fe.

The New Mexico Museum of Art was our first stop, then lunch at Del Charro on Alameda. The Loretto Chapel, with the mysterious staircase was curious, followed by a prayer at St. Francis Cathedral and a visit to the New Mexico History Museum.

Santa Fe is a beautiful southwestern city with a great vibe.

The Foodie Tour

Our new friends, Mireya and Michael from Sunday lunch in Carlsbad, invited us to tour their tortilla factory in Roswell. Before heading out of town Monday, we did just that. It was an educational visit and we bought some chips and tamales to go. We enjoyed the authentic tamales on our drive northwest to Santa Fe.

We rolled into Santa Fe NM mid afternoon and it felt like the first day of Fall. Our luck prevailed and we found a campsite in the heart of Santa Fe at the Trailer Ranch RV Resort. Hate that name but the space is perfect for touring the city. It's clean, friendly and no vacancies all week. There's a lot going on in this mountain town and we hope to find our share of adventure while urban camping.

After we settled in and relaxed over local promotional material, we urbered to Kai Sushi on St. Michaels Dr. Generally, we enjoy preparing meals at camp, but in the 5th ranked city for foodies, we just may take a break from the galley. By the way, NOLA is rated the #1 foodie city in the US by Travel + Leisure.

Sunday Backroads to New Mexico

Another rainy morning at camp and once again we had wet chairs. Silly us. The desert so needs this rain, we're happy to be a part of it. We put the wet stuff in the van and rolled out. First stop was Sunday breakfast at Magoo's Place on E Ave East in Alpine TX. A real Texas dive and tasty meal.

After a quick stop at Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Salt Flat TX, we stopped for lunch in Carlsbad NM. Bill found a funky Mexican carniceria, Juan de Los Lagos, and it was a more authentic experience than the Boquillas Mexico lunch. Hah. We met a sweet couple from Roswell, Mireya and Michael, at the community table and were grateful for the company and language translation assistance.

On to Roswell for an Autumnal Equinox stay at Bottomless Lake State Park. It was a scenic and peaceful ride on the roads less traveled. The sunset was beautiful. Again.

Saturday on the Move

R is for rain and Reata: both highlights of our last Saturday in Texas.

I loved waking up to the pure mountain rain enveloping the basin campground. It smelled so fresh! The hike planned for the day on Lost Mine Trail would be too dangerous considering the weather, so we decided to pack up our wet camp a day early and move on.

Among the waterfalls in the mountains and some frolicking animals in the desert, we drove a few hours to Alpine TX. Fun fact: Alpine is the largest town, in the largest county, in the largest state in the continental US.

Lost Alaskan RV Park came up highly rated on Google and they had space available. We plugged into shore power for the first time in five days. Back on the grid at the best private campground ever, we enjoyed the cleanest facilities, including laundry and a close proximity to town.

We had a late lunch at Reata Restaurant on north 5th St. The meal was amazing Tex-Mex fare. The tamale bread pudding desert was incredible! Alec, a local diner, kept us company at the bar. His wife owes Cheshire Cat Antiques in town. Back in civilization, we ran some errands and explored the antiques shop. What a collection! Back at camp, our equipment was dry.

Boquillas Del Carmen

The Boquillas Crossing Port of Entry opened for the weekend Friday morning. Bill and I were eager to explore a little slice of Mexico made available to us from Big Bend's border. We loaded up on water and small bills and parked our van in BIBE's desert heat. Humidity was up today and it felt particularly hot.

Once through immigration, we walked to the river bank and were greeted by a Mexican in a row boat. The man walked the boat, with us in it, across the river to Boquillas Del Carmen. Hah! We paid $5 round trip for the boat and $5 for the donkey ride to town and back.

As expected, we saw lots of crafts for sale, little kids greeting us with goods, dogs running about and an old run-down town. After a stroll through the village with our donkey handler, Evan, we stopped for a refreshing margarita. Falcon's, the other restaurant in town, was recommended for lunch.

It was a fun little adventure, but super hot. It took us, and the van, all afternoon to cool down. At sunset, we finally saw rain for only the second time since leaving Florida.

Canoeing on the Rio Grande River

Thursday's sunrise over the Chisos Mountains was a spectacular vision of color and light as we drove west. We had to be at Big Bend River Tours in Study Butte at 8:45am. Another couple from Canada joined us for the fun adventure canoeing the Rio Grande River. It was Ashley's first time across the border when we stopped along the river bank for a picnic in Chihuahua Mexico.

We launched the river tour at Big Bend Ranch State Park, which abuts the National Park. We enjoyed our short time in Texas' largest state park. Between the two parks and including Mexican's national park along the river border, this is one one the most magnificent, light-pollution-free, dark sky in North America for star gazing. And what an amazing show we've had each night, despite the moonlight! The Milky Way in clear view.

Santa Elena Canyon and Surrounds

An itty bitty water flow from the Rio Grande River carved its mark and created these two majestic walls of stone. On the left is Mexico and on the right is the US. This is Santa Elena Canyon. A dramatic view of scale and wonder. Bill and I were thrilled to find this sight on our day of touring Big Bend NP (BIBE) Wednesday.

We also came across other amazing sights as we road along 118 out of BIBE and into Terlingua and back around the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive.

This is our first trip where we have stayed longer than three nights in a single campsite. It's great to have a comfy base camp while exploring an area for a week or so.

Thoughts on Water

Some have said the next world war will be fought over water. Heavy thoughts. Big Bend NP has a water-ration in place. They are asking visitors to self-regulate their consumption to under five gallons per person per day. Water is a scarce a precious resource in the Chihauhaun Desert.

This picture is the dried up river bank of the Rio Grande River. The US and Mexico are separated by a 30 ft wide waterway at Santa Elena Canyon. The river is so low here that one can easily walk across to the other side.

I have been known to mildly flip-out when I see people wasting water. We take our flowing faucets for granted and it troubles me when people are careless with water. This concern started way before we started paying big bucks for water in Marco. It started way before we bought an RV and are super conscious of our water consumption. It started a long time ago. Maybe living in southern California in the early 80s had some influence on my water usage or maybe just having parents, with Great Depression memories being their moral compass on all things conservation.

Just think of how much water is wasted everyday in the real world of conveniences. Collecting all the partially consumed water from single use plastic bottles each day could provide some much needed hydration to an army of soldiers.

A Simple Life in the Mountains

The rising sun made for a picturesque greeting over the Chisos Mountains Tuesday at camp. This is a quiet campground nestled in the basin. We are surrounded by wholesome tent campers who seem to take nature and outdoor activities seriously. We like these people and trust that this little community is safe and sound. In a rare show of confidence, we slept with our doors unlocked and wide open, with just a screen between us and the world. Vulnerability is humbling and good for the soul.

After breakfast at camp we donned the hiking boots and headed further into the basin for an easy and thoughtful four-mile hike. It was sure peaceful immersed in dramatic rocky landscapes and canyon-like formations.

We explored the area by van later and found internet at the Panther Junction welcome center. It was cool overlooking the Rio Grande River into Mexico. The border crossing is open on Friday, so we'll trek over to Mexico for a margarita or something in a couple days. Glad we carry our passports. Ya never know....

We made a yummy chicken dinner at camp with a nice Chardonnay. Life is good.

Chisos Basin

A cool night and a great sleep. There is nothing like time in the mountains; awake or asleep. We are very excited to start our week in west Texas and move on down to the Rio Grande River. With no reservations for Monday night, it's anyone's guess where we will end up. Our goal is to stay in Big Bend National Park, bordering Mexico.

After a couple hours on the road, we provisioned for a week of remote camping in the town of Ft. Davis. Then we drove another couple of hours to the park. Lo and behold, all four campgrounds in Big Bend had space available. We've been pretty lucky with our camping risk taking.

We decided to go with highest altitude and most remote camping in the Chisos Basin. We're fully off the grid and dependent on our solar panels for refrigeration. This will be the test. Not sure how much posting I'll be doing this week with scare connectivity, but I'll have my offline posts for later uploads. It's good to have the hiking boots back on these feet.

Westward in Texas

We said goodbyes to Candy and Ray at 6:30am Sunday morning. They had a flight out of Austin to return home. We continued our journey west. Within a couple of hours the TX landscape became much more scenic and photogenic; from Hill County to Mountain Country. We turned up the tunes and felt free as the wind blowing down I-10 west. Back in familiar territory, we parked at Davis Mountains State Park for the night. We had a sweet visitor come over to greet us: a tarantula. It's good to be back in nature.

So Long Hill Country

We pretty much exhausted our to-do list during the week, so Saturday was a day of rest. We took a short ride on the outskirts of Marble Falls, stopped at Bear King Brew Pub for lunch, did laundry, napped and packed our bags. We even ordered in pizza from Flat Creek Enoteca, which was absolutely delicious.

Reminiscing on the week in Hill Country, famous for vineyards, wineries and brew pubs, Bill was the only one to taste a local beer (I had one sip.) We had not one sample of Texas wine. I guess we are wine snobs, and those wine calories add up! But we do know everything there is to know about LBJ!

It was nice to slow down our pace and enjoy an easy itinerary with Candy and Ray. We put a lot of miles on the rental car. A real highlight of our week was a balcony with this view!

Friday in Austin TX

Getting from A to B in Hill Country involves lengthly car rides each day. Our final excursion was to Austin TX on Friday. We parked in a city lot across from Lambert's on 2nd Street. We had a brief and dusty walk around the River Banks and went to lunch. It's all about the food. Lambert's was another good restaurant suggestion from Candy. After lunch, we drove to the University of Texas at Austin to enjoy some history and air conditioning. This is a week with LBJ all the way. After all, LBJ is the shinning star of Hill Country. The LBJ Presidential Library was super entertaining. Plenty of blasts from our childhood pasts and a good dose of nostalgia. Back at the condo, we had cocktails and pasta, followed by a night cap in the hot tub.

Burnet TX

Our week based in Marble Falls is rapidly coming to an end. We checked off another day of sightseeing Thursday; this time in Burnet. Longhorn Caverns is a popular destination in Hill Country and not that far from our condo. It was a cool 90 minute tour underground, both in temperature and sightings.

Hot as hell above ground, we hung out in the pool and hot tub back in Marble Falls. We had a fun visit with Candy and Ray bobbing in the water with the sun shinning and the Colorado River view stunning.

Our fancy dinner of the week was at Apis Restaurant in Spicewood TX Thursday night to celebrate Ray's birthday in style. A great fine dining pick, enjoyed by all. Only two more days left.

Hill Country with LBJ

The ride to Fredericksburg TX was scenic and historical. We stopped in Stonewall to tour the LBJ National Historical Park and State Park. Another stamp in my passport and way more interesting than anyone of us would have guessed. 

Fredericksburg was a cute town with lots of shops, restaurants and wine tasting rooms, although we still have not sipped Texas wine. We did, however, enjoy a great lunch at Mamacita's Restaurant on Main Street.  

We found a comforting Japanese garden on the grounds of the National Museum of the Pacific War and enjoyed peaceful contemplation on 9/11 and Ray's birthday. Chester Nimitz, a fleet admiral in the US Navy and Commander in Chief in the Pacific during WWII, was born in Fredericksburg TX. 

Back at condo, we toasted Ray with our new favorite cocktail: grapefruit gin & tonic, watched a hilarious movie "RV" and had banana cream pie for dinner. It was a good day.

Krause Springs Spicewood TX

Four friends lingered over coffee in the condo Tuesday morning and planned the day's activities. We decided to go to the famed Blue Bonnet Cafe for breakfast in Marble Falls and then on to Krause Springs for a dip in the fresh cold water.

Krause Springs is a lovely recreation spot with beautiful flower scapes, butterfly and hummingbird gardens, massive wind chimes providing gentle music, a grotto and 32 fresh water springs on the property. A most refreshing break from the Texas heat. We visited with some other guests in the pool, but couldn't go in beyond our knees; the water was so cold.

After a grocery run, we hung out in the condo pool before making a great dinner at home. Bill put on a movie "A Simple Favor." It was silly but entertaining.

Day Trip to San Antonio

It was a pleasant drive in the rental car to San Antonio. Boudro's Texas Bistro was on the agenda for lunch. It was a terrific meal. Next, a stroll along the Riverwalk and a tour of the Alamo. That's it! A quick detour to LBJ's boyhood home in Johnson City delayed our afternoon pool time slightly. A light dinner at Doc's Fish Camp rounded out the day.

Sunday in Hill Country

We broke down camp after our housekeeping chores and showers. It was a three and a half hour ride to Marble Falls TX. Candy and Ray had beat us to the condo. We emptied the camper and settled into to our comfortable space over looking the Colorado River. A grocery run, a fancy drink, chicken wings on the grill and bedtime. Love being with friends on vacation.

Saturday Around Town

Who knew Dallas could be hotter than SWFL? and so dry? Saturday's heat did't stop us from having fun. We jumped on the bikes and toured our little neighborhood before heading into town. Surprisingly, it's a little hilly in Grapevine. We locked the bikes up in town and strolled the cute village of shops and wine tasting rooms. We had a yummy lunch, stopped for groceries and headed back home...downhill. The air conditioned camper was heavenly!

Friday in Grapevine TX

Friday's sunrise over Lake Grapevine was soothing to the soul. I started working the phone after breakfast to secure some pampering appointments in Grapevine. Hair and nails were on my agenda. Bill escorted me into town on our bikes and we had five hours apart from each other. I decided to dye my hair red!

We're so happy with this sweet campground. Rested, provisioned-up and ready to enjoy a pleasant weekend here, I am grateful for the fresh veggies and fruits newly stocked in van. After a first-time experience at Texas' iconic Whataburger on Thursday, I'm feeling remorseful; although, that may be too harsh of a word choice. But, nonetheless I will be making healthier options camp-side this weekend.

We had a lovely lakeside dinner followed by a fireworks display. Yes, a great, random show in the sky and we didn't even have to leave our picnic table. Go figure.

An Arm’s Length of Business

We awoke Thursday with another slow leak in the new rear duelly. There was also a power outage during the night and our new Victron inverter was giving us a problem as a result. Back to business in LA, we found a tire shop outside of Shreveport for a valve repair and Bill was able to troubleshoot the inverter. A reboot meant reaching an arms length deep inside the Sprinter's rear compartment to shut it down. Bill's arm didn't work, but my long arm did.

Onward to Dallas, our mission was to secure indoor storage space for our van when not in use. RSW airport in FL has direct flights to Dallas, so it seemed to be a good fit for us; simplifying our road trips out of SWFL. National Indoor RV Center is an interesting concept that offers sales, repair, storage and concierge services. After investigating the Lewisville location, we may be ready to leave our camper in TX at the end of this adventure.

The day got away from us and we just wanted to settle in camp and relax without driving too much. While we tend to enjoy the natural environment of State and National Parks, we opted for a highly rated and relatively expensive nearby private campground: The Vineyards Campground of Grapevine TX. It's super nice, clean, on Lake Grapevine and has plenty of urban glamping amenities.

By the end of the day, the solar-powered batteries were fully charged.

September in the Deep South

Getting there is half the fun, as they say. We enjoyed the sugarcane and cotton field backroads through Louisiana after leaving the New Orleans area. It's always nice to get off the interstate and enjoy more scenic and interesting landscape. It was an easy day of driving northwest towards Dallas. We stayed at our third LA campground, Lake Bistineau SP in Doyline. It was kinda scary empty. Not many campers in the deep South in September. Perhaps they don't enjoy little frogs in the shower with them or Jurassic Park size flies and mosquitoes. It's all part of the journey as I perfect my Zen-like approach to nature. We never did actually see the lake, but it was a peaceful respite nonetheless.

NOLA Farewell

Our last dining adventure took place on Tuesday for brunch at the iconic Brennan's on Royal St. We enjoyed a decadent meal and moseyed back to the hotel, window shopping through the French Quarter. With two Urbers on the way, we said our goodbyes. Will is off to the airport and we are heading back to camp at Westwego. What a great family getaway!

Upon our return, everything was just fine at the abandoned campsite. No surprises! We were able to do some laundry at Bayou Segnette SP and have a relaxing dinner on the fire.

The 26th Birthday Celebration

What a great city to celebrate any occasion! Lounging around the hotel room on Labor Day, we sipped our morning coffee and tea while discussing Will's birthday agenda. The celebrations included a cooking class at Crescent City Cooks, a walk through the NOLA aquarium, a respite with gifts back at the room and a fabulous dinner at GW Fins in the French Quarter.

It's been a grueling, but fun, few days of celebrating Will, so after dinner we went back to the room and watched a couple of episodes of "Succession" on HBO GO. I did warn Will before he committed to joining us in NOLA, that his birthday wasn't going to be a "drunk fest." It would be a cultural adventure exploring the city with his parents. He agreed, and we had a wonderful few days together. Although, I'm sure Will will be having a late night or two doing shots with friends this week.

Sunday in NOLA

There's nothing more pleasant than a lazy Sunday morning. We lingered over coffee and showers before heading out to Kingfish Restaurant on Chartres Street for brunch. Our day's plan involved taking the cable car to the City Park, strolling the NOMA sculpture garden, introduce Will to Cafe du Monde at the park location and then return to the French Quarter for the Southern Decadence parade. The pride parade was hilarious! We retreated back to the hotel for an air conditioned rest and dress for dinner at NOLA Restaurant on St. Louis Street. After all the amazing meals we've had, Emeril Lagasse's NOLA was meh. We had a couple of night caps in the Quarter and enjoyed a quintessential NOLA entertaIner singing some jazzy blues before we called it an amazing day. 

Saturday in NOLA

Refreshed and ready for a big Saturday in NOLA, we took Will to the Ruby Slipper Cafe on Magazine Street for traditional southern brunch fare. It was so good. Will tried the shrimp and grits, I had the fluffiest migas and Bill went with eggs cochon. All amazingly satisfying. We then spent hours at the National WWII museum in profound contemplation through a fascinating, state-of-the-art journey of the world at war. It was exhausting mentally and physically. It was good to get back outside for a dose of sunshine. We walked another mile or so on our tired feet to TackleBox Restaurant in the Renaissance Pere Marquette Hotel on Common Street for small plates and drinks.

Feeling refreshed, we took on Bourbon Street in the late afternoon. What a crazy scene even at that time! We shared a couple of "big ass beers" as we strolled along watching the amazing array of revelers. Making the French Quarter even more festive this weekend is the annual Southern Decadence festival, aka, Gay Mardi Gras.

Back at the hotel, we changed into Saturday night attire and Ubered to Frenchmen Street for live music and, yes, more food, at the Maison. It was a big day in typical NOLA style.

The Start of Labor Day Weekend

An Uber picked us up early Friday afternoon at our campsite and dropped us off at the JW Marriott on Canal Street in beautiful New Orleans. Our first meal in NOLA was at Daisy Dukes on Carondelet St. for a Cajun lunch. Then, of course, Cafe du Monde was on order for dessert beignets. We walked off the calories around Jackson Square and the French Quarter. Great people watching! After a nap and a swim in the rooftop pool, young Will arrived weary from a long day of air travel delays. We had a welcome drink in the hotel bar and walked to Luke Restaurant on St. Charles Avenue for delicious oysters and Brussels sprout midnight snack (or so it seemed).