How You Dune? Part 1

We recently had the chance to take yet another awesome trip in Arlene, this time eastward into New Mexico and to White Sands National Park.  Joining us on this adventure were our buddies Bryan and Jen, as well as their fur-kiddos, Bogey and Bronx!

Read on for the deets...

The six of us in White Sands NP.

Don't worry - we'll cover it in more detail

in future blog entries.

In planning this trip, Chris and I initially figured we would cover the full distance between home and our camping location, Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, in one fell swoop, driving out on Friday and back on Sunday.  While it would be a long day each way (9ish hours or so), it wasn't insurmountable; however, when Jen mentioned that she and Bryan would likely leave home after work on Thursday, drive a few hours, and stay somewhere a bit closer overnight, we found it to be a great idea.  Quickly booking a spot at the KOA in Willcox, AZ, I reported back to Jen, and she and Bryan grabbed a reservation there, too!

Since we both have great employers, Chris and I were each able to shift our Thursday schedules a bit earlier, so we headed out of town around 2:30, after ditching our dogs at daycare during our lunch breaks (they're still learning to camp, so they weren't invited on this excursion).  Although we hit a bit of early rush hour traffic through Tucson, we made great time, and we arrived at the KOA around 6:30.  We set up the necessary items (since we were just staying one night, we didn't unpack too much) and enjoyed some pasta salad for dinner while we waited for the rest of our group to pull in.  After a longer than usual day at work (Bryan's a pharmacist and the combination of several employees calling in and tons of kids waiting for COVID vaccinations - and thus, lots of tears - made for a very long day for him), the Spencer contingent left home a bit later than planned, but thankfully, they had a shorter drive than we did, and we were able to say hello and visit just a bit before we all crashed for the night.

I'll admit to not sleeping amazing on Thursday night; while the KOA being close to I-10 means it's super convenient (and the people there were incredibly kind and attentive), it also means it's pretty darn loud.  I read for a bit while Chris slumbered on, and eventually, we were all up and moving around.  Since we didn't want to drag out the whole camping cooking setup just to pack it all up an hour later, we instead ordered breakfast from the cafe onsite - oh, sorry - the Kafe, in KOA parlance (they're the RVing equivalent to the Kardashians, apparently).  While we could have put on real clothes and wandered the short distance to eat in the onsite restaurant, the Kafe was also happy to bring your food to you in your camper for free, and given that it was in the 40s outside, we were thrilled to take advantage of this opportunity.

Our intrepid food delivery driver,

heading back to the warmth of the Kafe.

Breakfast was delicious - the camp host the night before had mentioned the Roadrunner Kafe's food was legit, and he was not lying.  The chef is Greek, so we figured we had to try the Greek omelet, which came with a side of homemade tzatziki - it was just as good as advertised (in front of Chris in the shot above).  For my part, that's the small order of biscuits and gravy in front of me, as well as a local-made cinnamon roll with pecans.  I had one bite of the roll, figuring we'd save it for later; when I went looking for it, turns out someone had already taken care of it, so that should speak to its quality as well.

Bryan and Jen each have a very restrictive diet for health reasons, but we were stoked to find out that the Kafe could accommodate them, as well:

They're eating outside -

they are braver than we are, obviously.

The moral of the story here is that there aren't that many options in Willcox itself (particularly that aren't fast food), but even taking that into consideration, the Roadrunner Kafe has solid food and is well worth a visit.

Since we were only about 5.5 hours from our campsite in New Mexico and check-in there didn't start until 4pm, we had plenty of time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast, take showers, gas up the trucks, and pay a visit to Apple Annie's, a local country store with excellent pie.  I also had time to wander around and take glamour shots of the rigs:

Although their original site was going to be #29,

the KOA folks put the Spencers right next to us,

in #23 and 24.

Looking toward the Chiricahua's from Apple Annie's

After we finished packing up, dumping the waste tanks, filling water tanks (we'd be off grid for the next two nights), losing our camper keys and finding them again (this part was all Chris - this is why we travel with two sets and have a third set in the safe at home), and whatnot, we said adieu to the KOA around 10am and got back on the 10, heading east once more.  The freeway through here is pretty flat and calm, although the warning signs on the side of the road indicate that gnarly windstorms sweep through here pretty often.

The New Mexico state line snuck up on me,

hence the blurry, "aw, crap!" nature of this photo.

I think this was when I texted Jen,

"hey, do you guys want to go to Pistachioland tomorrow?"

Also, I love that the next sign reads, "hangry?"

Always, random road sign, always.

I guess it makes sense that the Continental Divide

divides like, the entire continent,

but it still surprised me this far south.

We stopped for a lunch and gas break in Gage, NM, at Bowlin's Butterfield Station, which worked out well - wide-lane gas pumps and a spacious, nicely paved parking lot for rigs.

The Bowlins people/company own several stops like this

across this area of the country,

including the location of The Thing?!

Chris and I stopped to visit The Thing? when

we moved from FL to AZ back in 2004.

We were reminiscing about that on this trip;

as we recall, we each paid one US dollar to visit The Thing?

and the lady behind the counter was very strict

in informing us that were NO refunds,

under any circumstances.

For one US dollar, I don't recall us being disappointed.

Bogey and Bronx hanging out in the truck with Dad,

while Mom and Uncle Chris

went into this TA stop to get Starbucks.

Also, unintentional photo bomb by Arlene and I.

Before too long, we were hitting the outskirts of Las Cruces, where we'd exit the 10 and hop onto the 70, which takes you past the White Sands Missile Range and the National Park.  We passed this giant metal roadrunner statue:

Crappy truck picture for scale

This thing was huge!

After making a quick stop for one last gas fill-up at a Pilot in town (where Jen and I met the cutest puppy, who pee'd all over its person when we approached - sorry, dude!), we finished making our way through Las Cruces and over the Saint Augustine Pass, before seeing the Missile Range appear at the foot of the Organ Mountains.

It was only 3pm or so, but the moon was already coming out

The missile range

Passing the missile range, the National Park, and nearby Holloman Air Force Base, we took a right in Alamogordo and drove the remaining 15 miles or so south to Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, our home for the next two nights.  You can't camp with RVs inside White Sands NP (only backcountry camping is allowed), and Oliver Lee was a short, 30 minute drive away.  It turned out to be a great location - quiet and calm, but close enough to everything we needed and with decent cell reception.

This gorgeous shot is courtesy of Jen,

who snagged it during her Saturday morning run.

They should seriously put this on their website,

but I suppose this rinky-dink little blog will have to do for now.

We found our sites and started the process of backing in the rigs and getting everything set up.

Synchronized backing!

Before too long, the sun was setting behind the mountains near the missile range, and it was starting to cool down.  It's always surprising to me that at elevation (we were around 4300 feet here), when the sun goes away, it gets cold - and fast.

We were on the outer ring of sites,

#28 (us) and 30 (the Spencers).

While the inner rings had water and electricity

hookups, they didn't back up to this view.

We figured the tradeoff was worth it.

A long day of driving (or riding) can make you hungry, so it was time to get cooking on our dinner!

Chris handling our turkey burgers and sweet potato fries

Bronx and Bogey keeping a close eye on Dad,

cooking his steak on the campfire

Jen's hand, sautéing up sliced radishes

We enjoyed dinner, and after cleaning up and putting on more warm clothes, we hung out at the Spencer setup, making excellent use of their camper television to watch the movie Red Notice on Netflix.  After the movie ended, Chris and I moseyed back over to Arlene - it was time for bed for all of us!

On the next blog, White Sands National Park!

Later!

Amy