Tag Archives: camper van

Boondocking, Campervan, Camping, Nature, Travel

Crisscrossing New Mexico

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9/24/14 – 9/28/14

Back into Taos, we tried re-charging the A/C. It did’t do the trick, so we had someone look at it, who spent quite a few hours on it and traced it back to the relay under the dash. The part we needed had to be ordered by a Volkswagon dealer and had to come from Dallas, Texas. It  had to be paid for in person, before anyone would order it. We had to go to Albuerque or Santa Fe. No brainer. We headed to Santa Fe.

Not a bad town to wait for a part. We enjoyed the plaza and native artists selling their wares. We bought a few gifts, did some sightseeing, and delighted in some New Mexico fall colors.

 

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When the part arrived, we picked it up, quickly installed it, and ta-da…had cold air blasting into the cab.

To try out our refreshing luxury, we moseyed over to  Bandelier National Park. Mostly we needed a place to camp for the night, and the park was handy.

 

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A peaceful setting to enjoy the evening and early morning.

 

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Some interesting campers were also visiting. In fact a lot of these Western Bluebirds were camping along side of us.

 

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This Northern Flicker and White-breasted Nuthatch didn’t mind sharing a site.

 

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Pretty sure this was a Merlin watching over the entire loop.

 

We moved on after these visitors left and lots of the two legged type moved in. (It was a weekend.)

 

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Found this place a little quieter and more to our liking up a forest service road. Room for Pia to run and play, and plenty of New Mexico sunshine for the solar panel.

 

Some of these Bluebirds thought so too, as they followed us to our new camping spot.

 

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We drove by and visited Valles Caldera National  Preserve.

 

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It was a beautiful valley, but there was no place to spend the night. We inched our way around the Jemez mountains.

 

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A quiet walk  in the Santa Fe National Forest.

 

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Nature’s sculpture…

 

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And yet another lovely peaceful camping spot, thanks to the forest service folks for maintaining their roads.

The countryside changes abruptly.

 

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Emerging out of the forest and into Jemez Pueblo.

 

It was about here when our air conditioner quit working again…

 ❧

Beginnings

Hello

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Hello. Here we are. Two humans and one dog. We are about to embark upon a most interesting journey.

Without boring myself or anyone else, the story is that this day has been anticipated for some years. In 2010 it was a dream. A year later, we bought this white Eurovan pop top camper.

White eurovan camper van parked in front of mountains in the Sierra's.

The day after we brought the van home, we left on our first over night slumber party. We had so much fun, the following summer was filled with numerous more vacations. In the years that followed, we’ve continued to vacation, primp, and care for our van while staying strong when tackling repairs or purchasing expensive parts and gear. Yep, we adore van life.

Fast forward, and now here we are, in early 2014, preparing to go long term (as in having no other place of dwelling) in this little white van. For the past few months, we’ve busily de-cluttered, tossed, donated, and burdened our children with more boxes of “stuff” than they really need. The hidden crevices of stash swallowing closets, attics, sheds, and garages are for the most part empty. Much of the furniture is gone, thanks to Craig’s List, our same beguiled children, and the local thrift stores. Our few irreplaceable’s and heirlooms will live in an all American storage shed for the time being.

As seems fitting at this time in life, while our path meanders off in new directions, this blog  as well, is starting it’s own uncharted journey. It’s documentation is partly for our friends and relatives, some cheering us on, and others panting with unduly aghast at adventures or misadventures. Mostly though it is for us, as a place to record our excursions…hopefully post some lust worthy photos, maybe add in a few philosophical thoughts, and who knows what type of common (or uncommon) sense we acquire along the way. If you’ve stumbled along here, as happens in internet land, pour yourself a cup of tea and enjoy the journey.

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