Monday 15th November:

Each day we are settling in to being on the road again, and each day I cross another thing on my ‘to do’ list on the vehicle.

Passing through the exceptionally large spread of Phoenix we call into Best Buy and have the wifi gismo sorted out. Apparently the pass code I used had alphabetical characters not numeric yet the instructions just say enter “your password”. Lyn is very happy as she can e-mail family as we drive. Communication wise we are good to go...that is subject to internet signal.

Stopped by an old gold mine tourist town

Camp was at Tortilla Flats campground on Canyon Lake east of Phoenix

Camp 4:  Tortilla Flats Campground

N33*31.669 W111*23.806   

Distance Today: 341 Kms

Total Distance: 1385 Kms

Tuesday 16th November: 

Last night we heard a family of Coyotes howl into the evening, a very different sound to our Ozzie Dingoes. On dusk the local caretaker talked to us about watching out for tarantulas and rattle snakes but I do not think we will be that lucky!

Heading out to Apache Junction along Tomahawk Way is very remindful that this was Indian Country and home to Geronimo.

Continuing east along “The Old West Highway” passing through small towns. The area is desert with rugged ranges as backdrops.  The US flag flies proudly outside the houses, and it reminds us of our Australian outback communities with discarded vehicles and furniture cluttering the yards.

Taking lesser roads we camp at Apache Sitgreaves National Park at Black Jack Camp. On top of the range at 1,800meters it is little cold.

Dinner is corned Beef cooked in our newly acquired ‘DreamPot’. This is an Australian invention whereby you only have to cook a meal for ½ hour then put it into a thermos like container and it continues to cook all day as you travel. This is our second great meal from it and it is ideal for our type of touring. Soups, Lasagna, Casseroles, Stews, Cakes, Bread, etc is all possible. Slowly Lyn is working through the free cook book. 

Check it out at www.dreampot.com.au

Camp 5:  Camp Black Jack

N33*03.288 W109*04.826   

Distance Today: 333 Kms

Total Distance: 1719 Kms

Wednesday 17th November:

Wake up temperature this morning 1 Degrees C, but as the sun rises the outside is more inviting.  Crossing into New Mexico without any fanfare we head towards Silver City, gone is the desert and now into the pine covered Continental Divide Country.

Following a city museum tour and a much needed coffee in a local cafe our next destination is the Gila National Park 44miles north.

Winding roads and spotting the odd Mule Deer we arrive at the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Park, that will be tomorrow’s exploration adventure.

This is close to the birth place of Geronimo at the head waters of the Gila River.

Camp 6: Camp Gila Cliffs

N33*13.833 W108*15.683   

Distance Today: 183 Kms

Total Distance: 1908 Kms

Thursday 18th November:

Very cold this morning at -5C. Our washing had frozen as had the water in the pipes from the holding tank. Not being used to this type of climate I had forgotten to turn on the tank and pipe heater.

Our walk through the cliff dwellings was great! An old timer called Buster was a volunteer with the park management and was a wealth of knowledge. It is believed the Mogollon (pronounced Moggion) people came here about 1276, and constructed the cliff abodes. Times may have been in drought during this time and as the situation improved they moved on in about 1300.

The caves however have been, according the carbon dating, occupied for over 2,000 years and since the Mogollon people, occupied by the Apaches, then Trappers, and Miners.

The drive back to Silver City was, let’s say very careful. I had miscalculated the miles for kilometres and the gauge was well below empty on arrival into town with only 5lts remaining in the tank. At the fuel station chatted to a local whose dream it was to go to Australia, “to live with the Aboriginals”. Before we moved on he said to us “I am sure you do not have one of these” and held up his six-shooter.

On lesser roads we headed south-west to the old ghost town of Lake Valley where our camp is tonight.

Camp 7: Hidden Valley Ghost Town Camp

N32*43.081 W107*34.170   

Distance Today: 190 Kms

Total Distance: 2099 Kms

Friday 19th November:

Lake Valley was a thriving community back in the 1880’s when silver was discovered. The ‘Bridal Chamber’ discovered in 1882 was one of the richest loads ever discovered in the world; solid silver was so pure, that in the roof of the chamber that you could melt it with a candle stick.  The town boasted of 4,000 inhabitants, 2 newspapers, countless stores, saloons and a school. Following the collapse of silver prices in 1883 the town started to dissipate, it was only when during both world wars that it had resurgence as manganese was discovered nearby. Manganese is an important part of explosive manufacture and steel hardening. Since these days the town has been slowly dying until finally in 1985 the last resident departed.

Continuing on pass Hatch the chilly capital and onto Las Cruces passing groves of pecan nut trees we drove alongside the Rio Grande River.

At the White Sands National Park we joined a sunset ranger walk through the pure white gypsum dunes.

This area and north of here is the testing range for the US Air force rockets and in fact the first atomic bomb was exploded only a few miles north at ‘Trinity Site’.

We watched the sunset as it cast its pink shadow over the yucca plants.

Camp was only 4miles up the road beside ‘Raptor Lakes’

Camp 8: White Sands Camp

N32*48.468 W106*07.350   

Distance Today: 224 Kms

Total Distance: 2324 Kms

Saturday 20th November:

At our off-highway camp site we chatted this morning to Anne & Wolfgang, and Austrian couple who have been travelling in their Sprinter camper for 12 years. 350,000 kilometres from Austria to India, around Australia, Africa, South America, the US, and are now on their way back to Mexico for the third time. With all the bad talk we have heard about Mexico it was nice to hear some positives other than the wild shootings that are going on around the border areas.

Now that it is full daylight we did another drive around the White Dune Field. Pure white gypsum eroded from the surrounding rocks has created this field of some 275 sq miles, the largest in the world. Rather spectacular.

Lunch in a Mexican Chilli Restaurant, then via the Billy the Kid H’way to the old town of Lincoln. This town is considered one of the most original of the Wild West towns surviving as it was in the 1800’s. In its heyday was considered one of the most dangerous and it was all over two shop keepers trying to protect their trade by employing people like Billy the Kid to threaten the other trader. It is here that Billy the Kid shot the sheriff and escaped from jail. Reportedly this is his bullet hole in the wall!

Camp was in a canyon at the Baca camp grounds in Lincoln National Forest.

Camp 9:  Billy the Kid Camp

N33*32.430 W105*21.513   

Distance Today: 226 Kms

Total Distance: 2550 Kms

Sunday 21st November:

This morning had a visit from another camper and his wife......“What aren’t you here to shoot?”.... He is a helicopter pilot and had recently returned from Alaska where he tagged over 100 Polar Bears north of the Arctic Circle.  Incredibly keen on the vehicle and insisted on the grand tour.

Next stop Roswell. Yes the town where the alien’s crash landed in 1947. The UFO Museum has the full story including the four US Government cover ups, all the theories, newspapers cuttings, affidavits and sketches from those involved. Sworn statements from those who flew the 2 alien bodied and the spacecraft to Area 51. What they do not realise is that the Aliens are STILL IN ROSWELL disguised as lampshades and watching us!

Following more mundane things like doing the washing at the Laundromat we drove to Artesia and camped in the Wal Mart Car Park.

Camp 10: Camp

N32*50.813 W104*25.691   

Distance Today: 203 Kms

Total Distance: 2753 Kms