Christmas Eve in Tucumcari, New Mexico

The kids are waiting up for Santa.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's

Busy day baking pumpkin bread, making peanut brittle, and last minute shopping for Christmas gifts for the kids. Yesterday was a perfect snowfall day with gorgeous heavy snow coming almost straight down and temperatures in the mid 30's or even 40. Having a white Christmas Eve here along with clear sunny skies. There are several campers in this RV park who will be receiving pumpkin bread and peanut brittle gifts for Christmas.

Hard to feel lonely when you realize that God named His Son, Immanuel, God with us. Hope your Christmas is wonderful wherever you may be.

Welcome to Tucumcari, New Mexico!

Tucumcari Mountain, New Mexico. The Legend: Wautonomah, Chief Apache, knew that he would soon die and was troubled over the matter of who his successor would be. His two finest braves were Tonopah and Tocom, enemies and deadly rivasl for the hand of Kari, the daughter of Wautonomah. But Kari loved Tocom and hated Tonopah.
So, Wautonomah called Tonopah and Tocom to his side and said: "Soon I must die and one of you must succeed me as Chief. Tonight you must take your long knives and meet in combat to settle the matter between you and he who survives shall be Chief and have for his squaw, Kari, my daughter"
So the two rivals met and hurled themselves upon one another in deadly combat, but unknwon to either, Kari had concealed herself nearby and as the knife of Tonopah found the heart of Tocom, she rushed from her hiding place and plunged her knife into the heart of Tonopah. Then, taking Tocom's knife, she stabbed herself in grief. When Wautonomah was led to the scene, he was heartbroken and seizing Kari's knife, he plunged it into his heart, crying in agony. "Tocom-Kari". The old Chief's dying utterance lives on today with a slight change to Tucumcari and the scene of the tragedy is now famous legendary Tucumcari Mountain.

Satin Bow loves the Christmas tree.

Whew! It has been quite a couple of days trying to outrun the blizzard that is headed for the Rockies and central plains states. Today we crossed three states, Oklahoma, Texas, and into New Mexico as far as Tucumcari where it is 51 as I post this. Was 71 yesterday in Boise, Oklahoma. So nice that we left our screen door open yesterday afternoon. Blizzard is supposed to start up tonight and go through Christmas Eve. Anyway we hope to be as cozy as possible here in Tucumcari. Who knows. It got cold during that last cold snap with highs only ten and it's supposed to snow tomorrow. But it can't be any worse than the 20 below temperatures in Cheyenne, last week. Anyway I have already received my Christmas presents this year. My dream of fulltiming in my RV has come true thanks to Lord Jesus. We are having a great time in Tucumcari tonight decorating while listening to Christmas Music and Carols on the terrific local Christian station.

Thanks Mom and Dad for sharing your dreams and excitement for all of life with me. This is for you. May Jesus always be glorified by the faithful lives you lived and mine, too.

Enjoying Kit Carson, Colorado

Small towns. I like 'em, do you? Left Limon, CO where it was pretty chilly at about 5300 ft. elevation yesterday and couldn't resist stopping in Kit Carson, CO. Kit Carson is a little over 200 population. To survive in a small town I think the population has to be really resourceful because there isn't a lot of business to keep the doors open. Kit Carson provides some necessary services besides just camping. Services I found here are Laundromat, restaurant, motel, grocery market, liquor store, auto parts store, post office, bank with an ATM, and an automated gas station with fully automated pumps, including diesel, that is easy for even an RV to pull into, and a great little museum that is open during the summertime. Even just looking around the outside at the great historic depot building and old caboose was loads of fun...

Kathleen, I couldn't help but think of Michael when I was poking around this museum today!

Directly across the street from the museum is the Kit Carson Observation Tower and many interesting metal sculptures roundabout it. I didn't take a picture of it but here as a picture at this link: http://www.city-data.com/city/Kit-Carson-Colorado.html

Even the little main street is decorated for Christmas and sports charming old fashioned street lamps...

Part of the main street businesses that feature not only this food market, but a senior center, bank, liquor store, auto parts store, post office etc. I love old fashioned false front buildings like the one in the picture above.

This part of main street sports a hardware store, auto parts store, post office and the liquor store. There were also at least four churches in town, too.

This is the Camper Park RV park with full hookups where I have the entire place to myself. I love off season camping.

Joy and Whimsy parked at the Camper Park. I have Joy plugged in to keep her little diesel heart warm so she will start. While daytime temperatures yesterday and today were 50 and 61 it gets down to freezing or below at night. Elevation here is 4288 ft. That thousand foot drop sure makes a difference in temperatures.

Just in case it gets really cold I have the electric heat blankets that warm my holding tanks plugged in, too. I had these wonderful heat blankets installed at Jolley Rogers RV while in Cheyenne, WY where it got down to 20 below the week before.

Here are Whimsy's brand new Big Foot levelers at work. I sure enjoy having levelers. Takes so much of the work out of parking the RV and I can level the RV even when it is still attached to the truck as it is here. A wonderful place to walk is along the country road that runs just east of the grain elevator and treks south out in the country. Made for a terrific shirt sleeves weather walk today with the dogs.

A Brush with Brush, Colorado

Lit out of Cheyenne, WY yesterday in the quest for warmer temperatures about noon and took Hwy 85 south to Ault, CO and then turned east on SR 14 to just beyond Stoneham then south on Hwy 71 to Brush, CO. One of my goals in life is to always avoid interstate highways whenever possible. In my humble opinion they are probably ok for getting somewhere fast but they stink if you want to enjoy life let alone your trip. Driving's equivalent to working on an assembly line. Also they tend to take you close to large metropolitan areas which being a true country gal, I also hate. I want to drive at a leisurely pace (I drove 55, got 11 mpg with not much traffic either which I like), and enjoy the scenery, and actually drive through the little towns at 30 mph instead of past them at 75 mph. Nuff said and to each his own.

Colorado SR 14 is designated as a scenic byway. It is a good road and I saw many fabulous raptors up close and personal sitting on the utility poles, or chasing little munchies. It goes through the Pawnee National Grasslands and is worth taking a leisurely drive through, as wildlife is abundant. On the way there is a Forrest Campground just north off of highway 14 which would have been fun to check out in warmer weather. Will have to wait for next summer or earlier in the day.

Nice map of Brush at the entrance to the Brush Memorial Park Campground. Campground is marked in blue at the southern end of town you can barely see it at the crossroad of Clayton St. and Road R that make a cross at the very bottom of the map. Followed the directions in the campground directory and boy were they off. Sent me to a deadend road and I had to jacknife the trailer to get her turned around and back on the road out. Thank you Trailer Life Campground directory! Close but no cigar. So, I drove back to the main drag, followed the city signs to the fairgrounds and voila! I found this nice big sign opposite the entrance to Brush, Colorado's Memorial Park Campground. It's easy to find if you ignore Trailer Life Campground Directory directions. Just follow the signs to the Fairgrounds. If you're coming in from the interstate or south on Hwy 71 that is Colorado St. in Brush. Just take that south to Railroad St. then turn west (right) and go one block to Clayton St. and take that south across the tracks and go south 3 blocks and you will see the below sign on your left, and the campground entrance is on your right. You will be on the south end of town on Clayton St.. Dear friend, Kathleen phoned last night to see how everything was going. When she found out the misdirection problem she suggested I try using mapquest next time.

See, we made it! Memorial Park Campground has water, 30 amp hookups in many of the spaces, restrooms, showers, and a dump which is located just behind the restrooms. However from the look of the dump you would have to chip away the ice to find the drain, see pictures at the end.

One reason I like off season camping...no people. Only one other camper is in the campground besides me. There is a great area to walk the dogs, jog, or fish east across the street from here. Was going to stay one night but it's so pleasant here and the weather is great so have decided to stay two or three days at least. The cost of this nice campground is free the first night and only $10 per night with a limit of 6 nights.

The weather in Cheyenne when I left was cold, nights were single digits or lower, daytime temperatures were lucky to make 30's most days. Here it seems much warmer and was 50's yesterday and today. Lows last night were 30ish. Of course altitude is 4200 here and that helps. Cheyenne is over 6000 ft.

See, nobody is even near our space.

This is maybe the most unusual Christmas season in my life. Have to say I am really enjoying its difference. Has been so sad each year since first my mom went to be with Jesus and then my dad following her home not long after. Christmas will never be the same without them, but this year is the first time I have been preoccupied with stepping into an entirely new lifestyle and therefore have not felt the loss as keenly. Was wonderful to pull into the campground late in the afternoon, hookup, make a pot of homemade spaghetti sauce while listening to one of my favorite Christmas albums I had downloaded a couple days before, Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians "Now is the Caroling Season". Have had this album since I was a child in the 50's and have played it every year. Was lucky enough to hear the group perform when I lived in Sterling, CO years ago. They were wonderful. Last night we watched one of my favorite Christmas movies, "The Bishop's Wife", the old one with Loretta Young, David Niven, and Cary Grant.

Nice restrooms.

Dump drain is under the slushy ice. Could probably be easily dug up today if needed.

this is a wide shot of the dump directly behind the restroom building.

30 amp hookups and water at many of the spaces.

Remembering The Sky Is Blue

Sky Blue, my oldest cat, can be seen at the right of this dark photo looking out of the rear window of the RV for me one late summer evening from his favored vantage on the counter behind the sink. This sweet and dear old cat has departed this earth today after being a treasured friend for the last four months of his life. Sky Blue was most likely almost 20 years old when I adopted him this summer. The pound said he was found abandoned in a field. He was emaciated, matted and dirty. He was slated for euthanasia at the pound. Nobody wanted a sick old cat. Happiness at his good fortune of being adopted and loved revived Sky Blue. He gained weight and hardly ever stopped purring, even today when he became so ill. I will always remember his adoring blue gaze, and his affectionate head butts. Our time together was short but love is not measured by time only by how true. He bore his Makers' mark. God is love. Sky Blue has returned to his Maker for safekeeping until I arrive to claim him back. To those who think even the lowliest of animals aren't important think again. The original Greek of Matthew 10:29 makes it clear that God Himself attends their funerals, "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. "

Goodbye only for awhile little love.

Hi Wave!

Yummy homemade tomale supper.
Since our plumbing was frozen I filled one of my nifty collapsible 5 gallon jugs for water. We fulltime RVers have to be resourceful don't you know?

Tish is checking out our new Wave 8 Catalytic Safety Heater that Mike at Jolly Rogers RV, Cheyenne, Wyoming, installed today! Yippee! Yesterday he finished installing the Go Power solar monitor/control panels. See below. We are really able to boondock with this wonderful equipment to keep us comfortable and powered up. The Catalytic Wave heater is a radiant heater that takes no electricity and runs off of propane, see the hose plugs into the valve Mike put in beneath the pantry. You can situate the heater wherever needed in the RV. Roseanne of Jolly Rogers RV said this Wave 8 Catalytic Heater will easily heat my 29 foot trailer. It does use oxygen so a vent or window must be cracked when it is in use. We fired it up this afternoon and it has a lovely ember glow to it. Mike said his kids like to use his Wave Heater rather than the RV furnace because of the beauty of the ember effect.

Last night the temperatures here in Cheyenne dipped to -2 with 20 below wind chill. This morning about 4:30 I discovered the temperature in the RV was 60 degrees and the plumbing was frozen! That has happened before on cold days when I wasn't running the furnace enough but last night the furnace ran non stop and the plumbing still froze. Since the 5th wheel was to be pulled into the shop today I knew the plumbing would thaw. But tonight the kind people at Jolly Rogers RV told me they were leaving my 5th wheel in the cozy warmth of their shop and we can stay in it! What kind people to trust me, a stranger, in their shop. It is a toasty 74 degrees in the trailer tonight while it is 6 degrees at 5:00 pm. Predicted to go to -1 but since it's already down to 6. I'll bet the temps go even lower than last night's minus 2.

Today after Mike finished the Wave 8 installation he completed repairs on my fresh water tank that he discovered earlier this week was ready to drop out of the RV. Eventually it would have fallen out on the highway somewhere had this not been discovered by Mike. He showed me the steel beams were broken and bent right in the middle where the tank sagged down. He suspected the steel used for these beams holding the fresh water tank were way too light for the load they have to carry (60 gallons of fresh water). So he welded on brand new heavy steel beams then placed heavy plywood on top of them for a platform which was missing before, one of my new electric heat blankets and then the tank on the top of all that. That will keep this tank from freezing when the blanket is plugged in. This fresh water tank has always had problems with freezing up in cold weather because it is in the coldest most vulnerable place and basically not heated very well. Whether this will solve the frozen plumbing problems I don't know but it will prevent expensive damage to this important tank. My 3 other electric heat blankets will be placed over my two grey tanks and my black tank.

Then to top it all off Mike gave me two of the dozen homemade tamales his friend gave him today. So now I will have a wonderful supper. What kind people they are at Jolly Rogers RV.

Up With Solar!

In Cheyenne, Wyoming at Jolly Rogers RV, Pete is handing up Mike one of my Go Power Solar panels. Which means ...

The two 110 Watt panels are now installed on the roof of the rv! Wow! That is a dream come true. Mike wired the solar panels into the transfer switch and controller today. Tomorrow he will install the control panel and monitor panel inside the RV. He said with the four 6 volt golf cart batteries I can run everything in the RV except the AC for two days before recharging would be necessary. He said most days those two big solar panels will recharge the batteries so there should be little need to ever run Mr. Watts, our little 1000 watt generator, to recharge. I have to check my batteries for water every month. How hard can that be? Only fair to give them some water once in awhile in exchange for the wonderful electrical power they will supply us with. How does Mike know these things? He has been wiring RV's in everything electric for 22 years here at Jolly Rogers RV in Cheyenne, WY. Before that he wired houses and buildings. Roger, Roseanne, Jose, Linda, Pete and Mike here at Jolly Rogers RV could not have been kinder or more helpful with informed advice and getting the job done as quickly as possible (would have been done a lot sooner except I hemmed and hawed as to whether to buy the Big Foot Levelers so as a result they were shipped last week which held up the whole shebang).

The weather here has been cold, cloudy and blustery here today but the sun did shine long enough for Mike to get the solar panels onto the roof. Thank the Lord for small mercies.
However, Pete told me to pull my slides in if it starts to snow as we are predicted to get 3-4 inches tonight and very cold weather tomorrow. I tried not to whine about it. Am such a spoiled baby when it comes to inconvenience. However, so far I can say my worst day RVing is better than a good day at work. But they have to pull Whimsy into their shop tomorrow to begin work on the levelers and she has to have her slides in so she can fit through the big truck bay door. If there is snow piled up on the tops of the slideouts they can't be slid in. They are going to leave us indoors tomorrow because of the cold! So far no snow yet but I will pull in the slides tonight before bedtime just in case. That will make for some very cozy sleeping for me and the kids as our house shrinks to maybe less than half our regular volume. Well there's a first time for everything. Guess if we are going to be fulltimers we better be able to sleep with our slides in should the need arise again. This will be good practice.

Inverter and Batteries Today

Mike of Jolly Rogers RV in Cheyenne, Wyoming, installed two of the new golf cart batteries in the side battery compartment first.

Pete pulled Whimsy around to the front driveway of Jolly Rogers RV with their pickup this morning where I will be staying in Whimsy for the next few days as they install my solar panels, catalytic heater, BigFoot Levelers, fix the water heater, etc. Mike here is wiring in my new 2000 Watt inverter which will magically transform my battery power into usable house current to run everything in Whimsy.
Without the inverter the only things that get juice in the 5th wheel are a few paltry fluorescent lights and the slideouts and landing jacks. With the inverter I can run all of my appliances and all the outlets and lights will work. The four deep cycle golf cart batteries are necessary to store enough power from the solar panels, generator, alternator, and or shore power to run all of Whimsy's electrical systems without being plugged into shore power making her an ultimate boondocking rig.

Lucky is my co-pilot. On the advice of Linda York, President of Pet Pals, Inc. pet rescue, my large dogs are all seat belted in now and the little dogs ride in their crates when we are underway. What a pleasant difference that makes! The dogs are secure and much quieter. Lucky never was a problem but since he loves to ride in the co-pilot seat he sure could have gone through the windshield. Now he has his own seat belt harness, as do Sadie and Jake on opposite ends of the backseat with the other three crated in the middle and on the floor.

Another gorgeous Wyoming day here in Cheyenne. Perfect for wiring in four new house batteries and an inverter. Temperatures were in the 50's and no wind.

Pete plugged in Whimsy out front of Jolly Rogers RV so that the animals and I could stay in the RV while they begin working on Whimsy's new inverter and batteries. They had to drop the bottom off of Whimsy's backside to get to the wiring and electrical panel. As Mike was working on it he noticed that Whimsy's fresh water tank is dropping out! Good thing he spotted that. What a mess that would have been.

It is such a beautiful evening out. It is a totally different atmosphere living in front of Jolly Rogers RV just off East Hwy 30 in Cheyenne. The dogs love watching the cars speeding by and their favorite vehicles to bark at are UPS trucks. Amazing!

One might think being in the parking lot of an RV service place would not be very pleasant. On the contrary it is just different and actually quite pleasant. Lots of hustle and bustle during the daytime, but the city lights sparkle like jewels tonight and there are many Christmas lights visible from this vantage.

Two of Whimsy's new house batteries are in the front compartment with the new inverter. The other two batteries are in the side battery compartment, see the picture at the very top for those.

Movie Time

Tonight thanks to more wonders of modern conveniences like the Verizon air card, and Netflix streaming movies, and of course my Dell Vostro computer, I can watch any movie I want from the Netflix collection of 17,000 movies that stream instantly on line. Of course most of my kids don't watch the movies with me but sleep like Morris and Casey are doing above, but Sadie does watch movies with me especially if there are animals in them.

Tonight I have decided to watch Moonstruck on my laptop. Since I purchased my nifty Phillips speakers yesterday at Walmart we are able to kick back in our reclincer at the opposite end of the living room and still hear the dialog.
Last night we watched An American in Paris. Hope you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving. We have so many blessings to be thanking God for today. Among them are life and liberty, but above all is His free gift of salvation made possible by Jesus' suffering the punishment in Hell for eternity for each and every person who will ever live.
Have you accepted His free gift yet?