We're on the Move (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado), Finally!

After waiting for our new trailer to arrive and a houseboat trip on Lake Powell, it was FINALLY time to hit the road on our next adventure.  

We left Bill's house in Prescott Valley, Arizona with our truck full to the brim with our "stuff" and drove to the repair shop in Apache Junction to pick up our trailer.  We had 4 lithium batteries and an inverter installed by Above and Beyond RV.  Unfortunately the solar panels and controller did not get installed so we'll have to figure that out down the road. 

 

 

With the trailer in tow, we headed northeast.  We took Rt 60/77 to get to Show Low and there was one section on the route which had some tight turns but no problem for Al after he drove us on the Trollstegan in Norway.

We spent our first night in the trailer at the Elks Lodge in Show Low, Arizona.  It was so nice to be among the tall pine trees.

The next day we headed east and in to New Mexico. 

Masks are mandatory or face a fine!

We spent the night on a bluff at the Elks Lodge in Gallup, New Mexico. 

We had great views out all our windows

Next stop was to visit with our friends, Dorothy, Jerry, and Sadie.  They were staying at an RV park in Rio Rancho, New Mexico (near Albuquerque) so we got set up just a couple of sites down from them. 

We went out for dinner one night to Bosque Brewing Company where we sat outside on the patio.  This restaurant had a code you scan with your cell phone to view the menu so we didn't need to touch any of their menus. 

Deciding what to order

Sandia Mountain with storm clouds visible from the patio

Dorothy, Jerry, Nancy, and Al

I love Jerry's expression

Sweet Sadie

We spent a couple of nights in Rio Rancho with Dorothy and Jerry and enjoyed seeing them again and catching up.  We also enjoyed getting our Sadie fix.  

Next we drove to the Elks Lodge in Tucumcari, New Mexico.  It took me quite a few tries to be able to pronounce (Too-cum-carry) correctly with Jerry's help!  

We were the only ones at the lodge and enjoyed the free night stay with hookups.  The lodge was closed and there was no info or mailbox to drop off a donation. 

The next day we left New Mexico and drove in to Texas.

 

We got settled in to the Elks Lodge in Amarillo, Texas for five nights while we took care of some items now that we were back in our "home" state.  

One thing we did was catch up with my cousin, Rob, and his wife, Cindy.  Rob cooked us a delicious shrimp and pasta dinner. 

We also went out to eat one night to get our Swamp Fries fix at the Lazy Gator.  

We experienced quite a difference with face masks and social distancing between New Mexico and Texas.  At the time we were in Amarillo a majority of people were not wearing face masks.

Another thing we got accomplished was getting our new trailer inspected.  The cost was $7 and the inspection report confirmed our VIN number and the gross weight per the sticker on the side of the trailer.  

On the advice of the inspector, we went to a truck stop nearby and had the trailer weighed.  They weigh each axle separately and we were under weight so that was good news. 

We also took care of doctor visits with our new health insurance plan.  We wanted to establish a relationship with our primary care doctors in case we need to call them while on the road to get a prescription, etc.  

After all our tasks were completed in Texas, we headed north and spent one more night in Texas in Dalhart.  We stayed at the Corral RV Park where we found a nice site under a group of trees. 

This park is heavy with overnighters so the spots filled up as the day wore on.  And then in the morning, everyone was gone or packing up to head down the road. 

 

 

The next morning, we had a knock on our door.  It was a campground employee and he asked if we wanted to use his power washer to clean our truck.  We paid a price for staying under those nice trees, lots of bird poop!  It was nice of the employee to help Al wash is all off before we hit the road. 

We left Texas and drove through a small section of New Mexico again before getting to Colorado. 

Leaving New Mexico again

We spent a night at a golf course in Pueblo West, Colorado under the Harvest Host program. 

Can you see us tucked in behind the bushes?

In the early evening we had a good heavy rain storm with a nice full rainbow.

The next day we headed west along Rt 50 and the Arkansas River.  It was a beautiful ride with views of the river and some steep grades as we made it over the mountain passes. 

The Arkansas River looks like a fun place for a rafting ride which I need to make note of when we're in the area again.  We saw a lot of outfitters guiding rafting trips along our ride. 

Curecanti National Recreation Area

Our next night was spent at the Elks Lodge in Montrose, Colorado. 

We had a good 12 nights visiting friends and family and getting some tasks done in Texas and then making our way in to Colorado where we plan to visit another friend.  We're almost there and looking forward to spending 5 nights in a state park.