Same fun, different day

Still enjoying lovely temperatures and good company, or good temperatures and lovely company, here at Storrie Lake State Park.

We've had a few passing storms lately that bring us rain for a short while before clearing again. The one yesterday was a big, noisy, flashy affair, but it left in its wake an opportunity for a pretty interesting picture. This was taken just outside my door; not a bad view, eh?

This post is ruined

Thanks everyone for your sympathy, comments and suggestions for Jake and the door. He doesn't really like it when I leave without him but he's always been just fine in the rig with the cats so I don't know what happened that night; something spooked him good. I'm not at all upset about what he did to the door, stuff can be repaired, I'm just sorry he was so freaked out.

Yesterday was a day of exploration. Here, let me show you.

Gran Quivira National Monument ruins (doggy friendly)

Quarai Mission Ruins (doggy friendly)

Historic Shaffer Hotel in Mountainair, NM

And because there just aren't enough pictures in this post yet, some awesome landscape and clouds.

Elevations and things

My 14 days were up at Storrie Lake State Park on Wednesday and I would have moved on to another state park but I had a date lined up for this weekend in Albuquerque and it didn't make sense to travel further north for just a couple of nights so I hung around Las Vegas, NM for three nights.  Wallydocking is not my favorite way to camp but it was handy and the price was right.

I was on the road early yesterday for a Noon meet up time in Albuquerque. We walked our dogs to the Rio Grande river from the Rio Grande Nature Center and it was a pretty hike but whoo boy, was it HOT. I think actual temp was around 93º but it was humid and I was just dyin'.

Jake thought it was hot, too.

Later, we met up with some friends and went to a terrific Thai restaurant then went back to their house to hang out for the evening. I was able to park Bliss on the street at their house and that's where I spent the night. These folks have a bull terrier that is aggressively friendly with other dogs so I put Jake in the rig while we hung out in their screened in porch so that our hosts weren't constantly having to pull their dog away from Jake. 

We hadn't been sitting on the porch long when we heard something scratching at the gate. Everyone looked around to make sure their dogs were accounted for and of course Jake was in the rig so what was it scratching at the gate? I went with one of our hosts to check it out and when she opened the gate, Jake came running in. What the what?? 

I quickly went out to the rig thinking I was going to find the door wide open and the cats both gone but it was closed. When I got close I saw that the screen was out of the door window (the window itself was open); I opened the door and found the cats and .... well .... this:

Somebody, and I'm not naming names here, needed to get out of the rig very badly and needed to be with me very badly and destroyed the door very badly. The amazing part, or more amazing part, is that he squeezed his big self through the small window in the door to get out.

I don't know what set him off other than possibly a next door neighbor's dog that was barking a lot. I feel bad that the poor guy got so panicked and I wasn't there to comfort him. I am so so glad and relieved that he knew where to find me and didn't just run off.

I had been annoyed with the kitties earlier for scratching at and pulling loose the carpet material on the lower part of the door. Thank goodness I don't have to worry about that any more! 

And now, because I can hear you all wondering, the date was/is good and it continues with a few days of camping in the forest at higher elevations southeast of Albuquerque. And that's all I'm sayin' about that. :)

Our day in pictures

The three amigas on our morning walk

Jeanne and Riley, Annie and Jake, Barbara and Katie

Do you see what I see?

How about now?

Riley is a beauty

And Katie is a cutie

What a productive day!

Maybe Jake should get me up at 5:30am more often. I've been a model of accomplishment today.

I borrowed Jeanne's step ladder and caulked all of Bliss' windows.

Fixed the electric entry step that had been disconnected after it developed a mind of its own.

Cleaned out and organized the bathroom that had become a bit of a catch-all for stuff I didn't know what to do with. Everything has a home and a place now.

Made a bracket out of a metal clothes hanger to hold a refillable baby wipes container and mounted it to the bathroom door.

And finally, crimped connectors onto some 8 gauge wire for use with my new solar suitcase that was delivered yesterday (a whole week early!).

And it's just now 3pm. No pictures, sorry, I was busy doin'!

Like charades but less cutthroat...let's play a game!

My piggy tan lines would challenge you to Name That Sandal

 Here's a possible stumper. Which of these puppies is The Biggest? No cheating now, no looking at your neighbor's work. Just make your best guess and we promise not to laugh at you too hard.

L to R: Jake, Barbara, Katie, Riley

Here's another question that even I don't know the answer to: How many bloggers would be mortified to put a picture of their feet on their blog? And aren't you glad it's not bikini season?!

Chillin' and chattin' in northern NM

I'm having a great time relaxing at Storrie Lake State Park and hanging out with Jeanne and Barbara. We've spent many a pleasant hour just chatting and having a good time. I keep forgetting to take pictures while we're all together.

We had kind of an impromptu potluck the other day; I made chili, Jeanne made cornbread muffins and Barbara made a salad.

Barbara took this terrific shot. It's a hard life.

Jeanne and Barbara both have dogs (Riley and Katie) and it's been really great for Jake to hang out and get some doggy time. He was afraid of tiny chihuahua Katie at first because she'd bark at him but now he's fine with her (and she him). Riley is just super chill all the time.

Jake really likes Jeanne. See?

It's been hot the last couple of days but has cooled down today and will be in the 70s for the next few, anyway. There's a decent chance of rain tomorrow so I climbed up on Bliss' roof this morning and put Eternabond all around the bathroom skylight. It was my first real walk-around up there and I'm happy to report that all looks good.

There's a huge hispanic celebration coming up in nearby Las Vegas over the July 4 holiday. We're wondering if that will mean a super busy state park for the holiday or if folks will stay in town instead. Right now, it's super quiet here.

I'll leave you with scenes from camp. Try not to feel too sorry for me.

Checking in from northern NM

Just a quick post to let y'all know I'm happily camped in northern NM, enjoying a lake view, cool breezes and good company. All is well and I'm loving Bliss even more now. Traveling up here without towing the car was a dream and I got much better gas mileage than I had expected. One leg of the trip was 13.9 mpg, which is about 3.9 more than I expected since I was climbing in elevation most of the way.

I'm not set up for solar yet but am primitive camping so my power is limited without running the generator. I've been finding things to occupy my time other than being online.

I even got to fulfill my sweatshirt wish the other night! Life is good!

Finishing up

I'm starting to feel like, yes, I really will be leaving here soon.  The big rig is cleaned out as much as it's going to be for now and I drove it to the storage lot this morning. Whew! I feel lighter!

I've had this feeling running around in my head about towing the Honda behind my new tiny home. I really don't wanna. When I think about going toad-free, I feel light and good; when I think about towing the Honda, I make a face like I've tasted something I don't want to taste again. So, friends, this afternoon I signed another contract with the storage lot to store my car along with the big rig. The contract is just for three months and will let me know with little doubt if I really can live happily without a toad. And down the line, I could always put a scooter or dirt bike on the back of the rig if I want another option for errands or scouting boondocking spots but don't want a car. This decision to put the car in storage also makes me feel light. I'm excited for this experiment to begin.

The only thing keeping me here now is an order delivery that I expect Tuesday then I can bug out. I have been in this heat for far too long and can hardly wait to feel cool again. I remember what cool feels like. I even remember what chilly feels like. I want to need a sweatshirt again, maybe even, dare I say it, pants!

My 14 days in this spot are up so I'll be moving to another tomorrow. This spot has been Percha Dam State Park. If it weren't for the current heat and bug issues, this would be a really terrific place to camp if you want either hookups or primitive camping. It's quite small and has a cozy feel to it, and it's much quieter than its neighboring, larger parks. I would definitely come here again - just not in June.

They take their leash rules very seriously here

Jake's attempt at a blanket fort

Does this rig make my dog look big?

And finally, when I bought my new home from Kyle, Julia and Ender, they told me her name was The Ship and I like that. She does have a bit of a nautical feel to her, maybe it's all the fiberglass. But I got to feeling like maybe The Ship needs an additional moniker and I keep coming back to how she makes me feel (I'm all about the feels, y'all). When I think of her, I think of how happy I am to have her. I feel blissful. So I'm christening The Ship, Bliss. Long may she sail.

Bad blogger, bad!

Whew, I didn't intend to stay away from the blog for so long, there just hasn't been much to blog about. I took a break from working on the big rig and thus my life became sitting in the A/C in the new rig and wishing I were at higher elevations.

I've been going over to the big rig again lately as I've had the motivation and I think I now have everything out of it that I want to keep. It's looking pretty darned empty in there now. I've decided to put it into storage for the summer then come back when the weather is nice again to finish getting it ready and sold. I just can't be stuck here in this heat any longer. And now apparently it's bug season and I can't step outside the rig without immediately being covered in gnats and mosquitoes. It's a little crazy-making and I don't need that much of a push.

I've decided to remove the passenger seat in the new rig to make more floor space. Besides the couch, there's a chair right beside the entry door that I was originally thinking of removing but it turns out I sit there all the time, so passenger seat it is. If I ever do have a passenger with me, there will be other options for seating and I just don't see the sense in having all that unused space in such a small rig. I removed the seat earlier today and now just have the base to deal with.

Here's what the couch looks like after I've made a run over to the other rig. It's so messy the camera couldn't decide what to focus on.

And there's the just-removed passenger seat top center

Here's a better look at the passenger seat removal.

 There are bolts to remove underneath the carpet.

I'm going to put the cats' stuff here so it's not under my feet

I'm sure poor Jake is bored half to death. Between the heat and the &%*$ bugs he hasn't been getting his usual exercise (and neither have I). He's taken to tearing apart the bed after I half-assed make it in the morning.

See what I mean?