New Years Eve and 2014 begins

Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013     We left Council Bluffs and headed south.  Again blessed with dry roads and a sunny day, the day went quickly and late afternoon we were back in Coffeyville.  We stopped to pick up grocery essentials one last time at the Walmart there and then went to the motorhome. The RV park looked quite bare with all the Amazon workers gone.

We opened up the motorhome again, put some clothes away and then went to 5:30 Mass at Holy Name.  Afterward I made supper and we celebrated New Year's Eve together in our little home.  We did not even try to stay up to see the New Year in, we wanted to get up early to start our travels to head south to warmer weather.  It was nice to be home.

New Year's Eve 2013

Jan. 1, 2014  -  Up early, we left Coffeyville about 9:00 AM heading south into Oklahoma.  Past Tulsa and Oklahoma City, we arrived in Sayre, OK about 4:00 PM.  300 miles.  We stayed at the City Park there, it was windy and sunny when we arrived, and turned colder quickly as the wind picked up. Gary hooked up our heated water hose and we settled in.  I made pasta for a supper casserole dish, we hibernated that night.  It got really cold with the wind chill.

Sayre site

Sayre, OK City Campground

Jan. 2-  woke up early, excited to get on the road again. The Captain was concerned about the hose being froze to the hydrant, but all was well.   A new fifth wheel camper had pulled in beside us the night before, they were going to have to stay until they had a service person come out - one of their slides had gone out crooked and would not pull back in.  We had breakfast, packed up and headed west on I 40.  About 300 miles again, windy driving today.  Arrived at the Santa Rosa Lake State Park about 1:30 MST. This park is nine miles out of town, there was a camper that pulled in before us and about three afterward for the night. Cool, but sunny.  We had not had lunch, so after setting up we went in to town for an earlier supper. We ate at Joseph's Bar & Grill on old Route 66 which opened in 1956 and is still family run.  Very 50's-60's decor, with the vintage formica booths, calendars, lighted beer signs, etc.  It was dark by the time we got back to the motorhome.
When I went to bed that night, I noticed the furnace was not running.  When I woke up again after midnight, it was even colder inside, so I woke up Gary and he discovered that the propane was not flowing to anything in the motorhome and so the gas furnace was not putting out any heat.  We turned up the electric heater and snuggled through the night.  Luckily it only got down in the low 30's, so we did not get real cold.

Joseph's - Santa Rosa, NM

Santa Rosa State Park

The next morning, the Captain researched the problem on the internet and decided we probably needed a new regulator.  We packed up and drove in to Santa Rosa, there was a hardware store and a propane dealer there.  He checked with both of them and then we went to the large RV park in town that also sold propane.  Hallelujah, they had the regulator we needed. Gary changed the regulator while we were parked in town and the propane flowed again!  (He is very handy to have around.) After getting gas for the motorhome and propane filled, we headed out of town finally at noon.

Our route today was down Hwy 54 to Carrizozo.  We unhooked the car there and I followed him then on Hwy 380 through Capitan and to my cousin's place outside of Lincoln.  A sunny, dry day again, although windy - it was nice to get there and parked.
We spent the weekend with the Moore's, parking the motorhome in their side driveway and staying in the house.  The propane kept working (!!) and we kept everything warm when the night time temperatures went lower, reaching 5 degrees above on Monday AM.  We hiked the mountain behind them on Saturday and then watched my KC Chiefs lose the playoff game. (Darn!!) Sunday we went to Mass in Capitan, helped Ginger take down her Christmas tree and watched the Packer/49er's game.  Sad for the Packers, but the 49er's played hard too.

Winston's horses & mule

Cabin in Capitan Mountains

Hiking Captain

View looking down toward Ginger's place

Monday AM was cold and then Gary discovered we had a flat tire on the car.  He took it in to Capitan right away that morning and got it fixed.  We packed up and left there about 10:00 AM. Today we are headed to Deming, NM.  With the mountains all around, our best route was back up #380 to Carrizozo, then Hwy 54 to Alamagordo and Las Cruces, finishing on I-10 to Deming.  We arrived there about 3:30, checking in to the Little Vineyard RV Park.  After setting up we went and visited the St. Clair Winery, supper at Si Senor's, a grocery stop at Walmart and home to bed. Tomorrow we reach Arizona!

Office - RV Park

Tuesday -  we packed up, got propane and gas in Deming and on to I-10 headed for Arizona.  We left about 9:00, stopped at a rest stop in Arizona for a break and to make coffee and then onward. We arrived at Oracle Junction Mobile Home and RV park at 2:00.  Sunny and warm, paradise we are here!  We let the brothers nearby know that we had arrived, parked and set up for living here. We have a nice cement patio pad and our own palm tree in our yard.  Later we met Dan & Connie, Joe & Deb for supper at Mi Tierra's, our favorite Mexican restaurant in nearby Catalina.
We are here - for several months - pinch me, I still can't believe it!