Afterward....

     I've kept pretty busy since our arrival home, but I promise to review those photos when I get time and post them! Really....!

Milepost 6162: We are home!

     This morning we got up as early as possible so we could avoid any more extreme heat. We went straight to Chino Hills, where the motorhome lives, unpacked our clothes and food, and arrived in Anaheim around 1 p.m.
     No sooner did I announce our arrival, and I had an invitation from Tom to help paint his living room. Silly me! Instead of doing mounds of "return home" laundry, I went to Tom's and helped wash walls and prep them for the paint job. I spent part of Sunday and Monday helping finish the job. His walls went from dark beige to bright blue. I was tempted to paint some clouds....
     Susan invited us all for games and dinner on Sunday. We all had an enjoyable dinner and game of Yahtzee.... I guess it's good to be home after all!

Milepost 6060: Almost Home!

     Another route change! After much thought, I decided we should take the I-10 home to avoid the construction on the I-15. That construction is in the Cajon Pass and has been going on for a long while, so I don't expect it to be done any time soon! We've seen enough construction on the I-40 to last us a long while.
     We are travelling against the Memorial Day traffic, so that is a very good thing. We took I-40 to the I-95, in California, to the I-10 in Needles. We've never been on this part of the I-95 before, so it was an interesting drive.
     We are spending the night in Indio, California, tonight, and it sure is hot!

Milepost 5660: The Long Ride Home

     John wasn't feeling too well today, but rather than spend the whole day and another night at the campground (read "gravel parking lot with water, sewer, and electrical hook-ups"), he drove 259 miles to get closer to home. Once on the road, he felt somewhat better, but not well enough for sightseeing.
     It was very windy today and we had some slight showers - but only enough to put water spots on the windshield.
     We are spending the night in Bellemont, Arizona - west of Flagstaff.

Milepost 5401: Too many!

     Our Internet has been patchy and posting photos takes so long that I will return to add photos later.... I'm a week behind and desperately trying to catch up!
     There were no interesting stops to report today. We spent the day in New Mexico, avoiding major cities (Albuquerque) by driving on even smaller roads. The scenery was spectacular in places, though.
     John is getting very anxious to get home, so we will probably stay mostly on the I-40 for the rest of the trip.
     We are spending the night in Milan, New Mexico.

So what do I do when I'm travelling and bored??? Take more photos, of course!

There are trains....

Small towns. This one is Mountain Air, NM

The road....

Some scenery from my window...

...And more road!

Milepost 5192: In Search of Ghosts

This is about where we made the U-turn in the motorhome... I wanted a photo just in case I didn't make it.... Yes, it's a sheer drop on the right....

     Our day started with a search for a ghost town I found on a tourist map. Despite the risk that it really could be a tourist TRAP, we went anyway.
     The road gradually got worse and very deserted, two very good signs! But, when the road narrowed to nearly one lane and began to twist and turn up a mountain side, John decided to turn around. Nearly impossible in a wide motorhome, and very scary!
     We followed that adventure with a much more sane trip to Pecos National Historical Park. Very interesting! Anne and camera took the self-guided walking tour and John checked out the museum, then rested from his previous ordeal in the motorhome.
     We are spending the night in Moriarty, New Mexico.

We had a real appreciation for New Mexico highways now. This is the I-40...

Yes, they're even using "authentic" handmade mud bricks...

Rebuilding the church on the Pueblo

This is what they've rebuilt so far. They have a long way to go...

Milepost 5011: We're in Las Vegas!

Downtown Las Vegas!

     Las Vegas, New Mexico, that is! It's a pretty big old town near Fort Union.
     We got an early start today. Our first objective was "the abandoned Mexican settlement of Puerto de Luna." Unfortunately, although it indeed looks like it was once a Mexican settlement, it is far from abandoned!
     From there, we headed to Fort Union, the largest of the old western forts. The adobe fort lies in ruins - it was deconstructed by the army when it was abandoned. Their plan was to recycle the reusable parts, like the windows... Due to civil outcry, the government stopped the deconstruction, but not before most of it was gone. However, enough of the buildings remain to show its enormous size. We spent 2-3 hours wandering the ruins and taking photos before heading for Las Vegas' historic downtown and our camping spot.

Puerto de Luna - the "abandoned" settlement

On the way to Ft Union

Approaching Ft Union

Ft Union Hospital - One of the best...

The carriage works at Ft Union

This lovely creature posed for me as we flew past