March 17 - Route 60 from Socorro NM to Globe AZ

Route 60 is a mix of beautiful landscapes, plains, mountains, canyons and Apache Reservation. 

We passed the Radio and Astronomy Observatory. 

Staying 2 nights in Globe so we can do some exploring and hiking. 

Marc 16 - Salinas Pueblo Mission and Socorro, NM

On 2-lane roads, we traveled to tiger Salinas Pueblo Mission National Monument for a stamp in my Passport book 

At its peak, the Pueblo was home to 1,500-3,000 eastern Tompiro/Jumano people. Plains people directly interacted and traded with the Pueblo people. It was a hub of cultures gathering in those times. 

Back on the road to our Box Canyon boondocking site in Socorro. A walk around, we see lots of cholla cacti. 

From a top the hill, can you see Belle?  


Views are beautiful here. 

March 15 - Santa Rosa State Park, Santa Rosa NM

Beautiful area with large campground. Cedar trees and cholla all around us. 

Cholla are just beginning to bloom. 

Took a short hike on the Shore Line trail before driving into Santa Rosa. 

Had a late lunch at the Silver Moon cafe, authentic Mexican food. The town is on Route 66. Unfortunately not much traffic here. 

Sunday we’ll keep driving southwest toward Magdalena NM with a stop at the Salina’s Pueblo Mission for a stamp on my Passport book. 

March 14 - HIGH winds Lake Mackenzie

We were hoping to leave for New Mexico today but unfortunately the winds are so strong we don’t want to be on the roads. I’m fact, winds are so strong we put two of our slides in   Scary. 

ALL 3 slides are in a the RV is still rocking. Winds are probably about 40-60 MPH. Electricity was turned off to prevent wildfires. It’s so dry here. Belle did a good job keeping us safe and warm, although I did have to put a hat on. 

Here’s a short video of what our day entailed. 

high winds

Final at 7 pm the winds subsided. Banjo was able to go outside with getting blown sideways!  

Tomorrow we are getting out of Texas!

March 14 - HIGH winds Lake Mackenzie

We were hoping to leave for New Mexico today but unfortunately the winds are so strong we don’t want to be on the roads. I’m fact, winds are so strong we put two of our slides in   Scary. 

March 12-14- Lake Mackenzie Campground

Driving north, still in Texas, we’ve been able to stay off the Interstate, mainly because we are in the middle of nowhere. Huge fields, mostly cotton. Some fields haven’t been picked. 

What the middle of nowhere looks like … hundreds of miles like this. 

We decided to look for a Rails to Trails with a campground. Since it’s Spring Break all over Texas, we could only find one 30 minutes away, Lake Mackenzie. Driving down into the canyon was very different than the hundreds of miles of flat land. 

When we finally arrived at Lake Mackenzie, we were shocked to see how low the water was. It is so dry here. Only a few small fishing boats on the lake. Sad!

We did get to ride on the Caprock Canyon Rail Trail. Wasn’t quite what we were used to. The first 5 miles were very bumpy. Lenny and Banjo bounced in their baskets like a ping pong ball. We did have about 5 miles of nice trail surface but we knew we still had to go back on the rocky surface. 

This is what we see as we pedal along. 

When we got back to the TV, I walked down to their “beach.”  This area is known for ATV riding so that’s who is here this week. 

This beach area should be covered in water so may give you an idea of how low it is. 

Sunset at 8 pm!

Tomorrow we will spend the night in New Mexico. 

March 10-11 - Lakeside COE, Coleman TX

Tonight and tomorrow we are staying at a Core of Engineer’s Campground. We love to stay at these. They are clean, have hookups, and only cost about $12/ night. We are in the middle of nowhere though but it’s beautiful here. 

A live oak tree

Woke up Tuesday morning to a sunrise over the lake. 

Unloaded the bikes and took about 10 mile bike ride around the park and across the dam. 

Another warm, sunny, blue sky day. 

Leave tomorrow for Lake Mackenzie, near Silverton Texas. 

A pic of Blue Belle from above our campsite.