Pambling Roads: November 2020

Sunday, November 22, 2020

Thursday, November 19, 2020

My New Mexico Journal

Pambling Roads ~~New Mexico

Welcome back to Pambling Roads, where we are documenting our travels in the United States (and Canada) to “Meet the Americans”.

We were expecting to meet people from all over North America. It has been a wonderful adventure of a lifetime. We have met people from all over the world.

Gallup, NM

We stopped for the night at the LaQuinta on small section of Route 66. We only stayed at the Gallup hotel for one night. It was a comfortable stay and the employees were polite and friendly.

Farmington, NM

On our way to four corners we saw Ship Rock from a distance. Actually, you couldn’t miss it. The rock rises over 1900 feet about the land and over 1600 feet wide. It stands tall among the landscape and the closer you get the more it looks like a ship. The dikes trailing behind the rock look like waves created from the ship.

https://geoinfo.nmt.edu/tour/landmarks/shiprock/home.html

Four Corners

The only place in the United States where four states connect together, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. A granite and brass marker is used to show the exact connection of the four states. We took pictures standing in all four states and walked around the area and can now say we were in four states in the same day, in the same hour.

There are Native American booths where everyone can enjoy the different crafts, jewelry, and food.

http://www.navajonationparks.org/htm/fourcorners.htm

Salmon Ruins, NM

We ran out of time for the day and were planning on visiting Salmon Ruins but they had already closed. It was recommended as a great place to go.

http://www.salmonruins.com/visitorinfo.html

We were going to head to Santa Fe, but one of the couples we had met had just came from there and said they were having a lot of trouble with hotel robberies and stuff. So we decided that perhaps we will return another time and explore Santa Fe.

Socorro, NM

We stayed at the Best Western in Socorro, as expected, they excelled in their service. We stopped by the Socorro Visitor’s Center. My husband said hello to the lady in the office. She did not respond to him. I asked if perhaps she had not heard him and he said she did because she was looking straight at him when he said hello. She never came out of her office to see if we had any questions or needed any help.

We looked around for pamphlets and information so we could see what we would like to explore in Socorro. We drove around looking at some of the older homes until we reach the church.

The San Miguel Mission Catholic Church

We got a small glimpse of the inside of the mission. The church is one of the oldest catholic churches in the United States. It was being worked on and we could not go inside. We did stop by the museum and gift shop. The ladies there were very nice. One of them was a volunteer and she had suggested that we go to the wildlife refuge and gave us directions.

http://www.sdc.org/~smiguel

Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

We spent a few hours thoroughly enjoying this well maintained wildlife refuge. They told us about the rare bird that was spotted and had never been seen before in the U.S. We went to a few spots hoping to be one of the rare handful of people to spot the rufous-necked wood rail bird. We did not spot it, but did see quite a bit of wildlife.

They have a visitor center/gift shop and the employees there were very friendly and passionate about their jobs. They were very happy to answer our many questions.

http://www.fws.gov/refuge/bosque_del_apache

White Sands Missile Range

We didn’t know that the site was only open twice a year. We were a bit disappointed but the guard at the entrance was quite pleasant and understanding. He told us about trinitite, a rock created from the blast. He suggested that we stop at the store in Bingham, a very small town, where there is a rock shop that sells the trinitite.

The Trinity Test Site

http://www.wsmr.army.mil/PAO/Trinity/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.cddc.vt.edu/host/atomic/trinity/trinity1.html

Blanchard Rock Shop in Bingham NM

We were hoping to purchase some trinitite. The store was closed so we continued on with our trip.

http://www.peaktopeak.com/blanchard/index.htm

The Valley of Fires

The Valley of the Fires recreation area is an area that had a volcanic eruption about 5000 years ago. We walked around some of the lava flow pits and sections. It was amazing how far this lava flow had gone. Going into the Valley of Fires Park we realized how vast it really was.

There is camping and trails which we enjoyed thoroughly. The view was spectacular.

The visitor center was closed for lunch so we were not able to get inside and see what they had on display in their exhibits.

http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/recreation/roswell/valley_of_fires.html

Through Roswell… no need to say more.

http://www.seeroswell.com

Carlsbad, New Mexico

We stayed at the Econo Lodge. The pool wasn’t working there either. Mid-nineties and the pool isn’t available. Ayyyye

Living Desert Zoo and Gardens

Carlsbad, NM

We arrived in the late morning to a wonderful surprise. They were holding a mineral and gem show. We walked around a bit, checking out the vendors before we went back to the desk to purchase entrance into the zoo and gardens. The garden specializes in native plants of New Mexico and the Chihuahuan Desert. It’s a beautiful walk through sand hills and desert uplands.

As you walk about, you will view an aviary with several types of birds including a bald eagle, golden eagle, and roadrunner. There is a nocturnal and reptile exhibit. You will see Bison, Pronghorn, Mule Deer Elk, a cougar, bobcat and several other animals that are native to the area.

All the parks personnel were wonderful, pleasant, and welcoming. We spoke for a while with the gift shop ladies. They greeted us as we entered the room and were pleasant to visit with as well. One of the ladies was familiar with Florida and we chatted about the hurricanes and the differences between New Mexico weather and Florida weather.

Living Desert and Zoo

Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico

Carlsbad National Park

Absolutely fascinating. Wear a jacket, it gets a bit chilly down there. If you have any physical issues either be prepared to be hurting, take the elevator, or pass on the harder tours. Don’t forget to stop at all the pullouts, you will miss a lot of fascinating geological sites if you skip them. Bring water so you can stay hydrated while you are outside walking some of the trails.

Ocotillo Bar and Grill

Yummmmmm delicious, great food, great prices! Cheery, happy waitresses!

Ocotillo Sports Bar and Grill Facebook Page

We were going to eat there again the next night but they closed the restaurant at 6 pm and we were too late.

Lincoln National Park

Sitting Bull Falls and Recreation Area

WOW! Right smack in the middle of a desert the 150-foot waterfall gracefully falls to pools of cool water. This is a movie-worthy mirage moment that is real. It is a beautiful oasis with green plants and cool water for swimming. There are places to sit under natural curved rock for shade. Standing near the falls, one can just feel the power and beauty of the earth.

There are trails that can be hiked, picnic tables, pavilions, fresh water, and bathroom facilities at the park.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/lincoln

Driving through New Mexico we noticed that in many of the smaller towns there were a lot of houses with bars on their windows. It’s not that I haven’t seen it before. There are a few homeowners in Florida that do that.

I’m not sure I would want to live in a town where I didn’t feel safe unless I had bars on my windows. It always strikes me as prison-ish. They may be barring themselves from thievery, etc., but they are barring themselves in, making themselves prisoners in their own homes. I found it odd to see so many like that.

My New Hampshire Journal

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Pambling Roads ~~ New Hampshire

Our stay in New Hampshire was pleasant, rainy, but pleasant. My poor husband still hadn't seen any moose. We had been extremely exhausted and hadn't reached our target destination. Our first night was a Mount Whittier Motel in Ossipee. It was a great stay, wonderful employees, and an absolutely beautiful area.

http://www.mountwhittiermotel.biz/

We stayed at the Town and Country Inn Gorham, Shelburne NH for a few days. The hotel was a comfortable place to stay. The employees at the desk were nice, friendly, and answered all of our questions. We saw deer around the grounds. The restaurant's food was magnificent, the service...not so good, but the food was absolutely magnificent! Normally, we wouldn't go back to a restaurant because of the type of service we received, however, the food was so good we went back for breakfast and then dinner the next night.

http://www.townandcountryinn.com/

What to see:

Lots of mountains, the White Mountains, Mount Washington, waterfalls, a moose tour, ride the Cog Railway, and so much more. White Mountain Museum

Hummingbirds at White Mountain Visitor Center

Our travels have brought us all over. We've met so many wonderful people!

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Wednesday, November 18, 2020

My Nevada Journal ~ Pambling Roads

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Nevada

West Wendover, Nevada was a “rest” stop. We drove through Nevada and stopped in Wendover, Utah which is right on the border. I stood on the border with my left foot in Utah and my right foot in Nevada. However, it was quite interesting. I think the only reason why the town exists if because of gambling. That’s okay, all towns need a reason to thrive.

Ely, Nevada (pronounced E-Lee)

We stayed at the Best Western across from a beautiful park where we walked in the evenings after our days touring the area. The people there were friendly and pleasant to be around.

We stopped at the Visitor’s bureau in Ely and spent some time chatting and visiting. We left feeling satisfied and happy with the suggestions we received. We were armed with a handful of great information from Meg and followed through with her recommendations.

On one of the nights we stayed in Ely we dined at the Silver State restaurant. Amy was our server and she was right on target. Great service and great food.

http://www.elynevadaonline.com/Silver_State_Restaurant.html

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Silver-State-Restaurant/211200802276344

Nevada Northern Railway

The Nevada Northern Railway has train rides on a steam locomotive. A few of the tours are theme based where you may be able to enjoy a Wild West show, dinner, or a haunted ghost train ride. We took a tour of the shop where it is a functioning shop with machinists and mechanics repair and maintain the trains. The museum was closed both times we were there and were not able to see it.

We took the Wild West Limited with an entertaining skit that everyone enjoyed.

We spoke with one of the employees, Wally, who was a retired nurse and now volunteered to work on the train. He was absolutely awesome, patiently answering all of our questions. There was a couple from southeast Texas, Jaive and Mary, that we had a wonderful visit with talking about several topics including antique cars.

www.nnry.com

info@nnry.com

Copper mining is still a big industry in the Ely area. We could see the trucks dumping their loads from a distance. It was fascinating watching them back to the edge and drop everything into a mountain of dirt. We had mixed emotions. We understand what the detriments of mining but those mountains of dirt and soil that the trucks were dumping had multitudes of different colors in them and it was a beautiful sight.

Lane City is a ghost town about three miles from Ely. We walked through the area. There’s a church and several homes and a handful of mine shacks where the miners stayed while they worked their mine claims.

Renaissance Village in Ely

We had a general idea of where the village was located but had a few wrong turns before we found it. When we arrived we learned that it was closed and was open on Saturdays only.

Historic Hotel Nevada and Gambling Hall

Walking into the Hotel Nevada is like walking into a museum. There are displays, memorabilia, and relics around every corner and on every wall. Dinner was delicious and the service was just as grand. We did gamble but don’t hold your breath to hear about our winnings. We didn’t spend that much and didn’t expect to win anything.

We missed the White Pine County Public Museum. If you can stop by and check it out.

Garnet Hill

We went up to Garnet Hill and decided to do some scouring of the area. We dug around, broke some rocks and wasn’t having much luck. A family from a nearby town was up at the top with their children and showed us what to look for and the easiest ways to find them. Once I knew what to look for I found a couple. One of the teenagers came over to me and handed me one she had found. It was a pretty good size stone, a very dark stone with glimmers of dark red. I congratulated her on her findings and handed it back. The girl said for me to keep it, she will always have a chance to find more and I was just visiting. I was thrilled and gave her a good healthy hug.

After the family left, my husband found a few more and we were happy. We found our gems. Just as we were leaving another couple pulled up and asked if we had any luck. The couple were from California and enjoyed coming to Garnet Hill especially after it rained. We soon learned that after it rains, Garnet Hill is easy pickings.

Ward Charcoal Ovens State Park

This park is mainly used for hiking and has some tables for picnicking. However, one of the unique features is the beehive shaped structures they have near the entrance. The structures were used as ovens to produce charcoal from pinyon pine. The charcoal was used for smelter for the gold mines at Ward. The coned-shape kilns were very large, thirty feet tall and twenty seven feet in diameter. There are a few still standing.

Willow Creek Trading Post and General Store

Located near the Ward Ovens, we stopped by the trading post. We purchased a few things and had a great conversation with the family who runs the business. They had buffalo on the backside of their property and gave us permission to go over there and see them. They also sell buffalo burgers or will sell live buffalo, and meat by the pound or whole.

http://bristlecone89318.tripod.com/buffalo.html

Cave Lake State Park

Cave Lake is a short jaunt from Ely. The park allows hiking, fishing, camping, picnicking, and fishing. The lake was breathtaking…and cold.

There are trails for hiking and warnings. There are predator animals there like mountain lions, and bobcats, etc. There were mixed emotions on my part. I wanted to see a mountain lion but would prefer it to be a very distant sighting. We saw many different birds, a few deer tracks but did not see any other large animals.

Leaving Ely we drove to Great Basin National Park but didn’t stay for very long.

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