VLA New Mexico
Yesterday leaving the Prescott area I made the decision to alter travel plans at the last minute. That’s normal, travel plans always change. Initially I was thinking about heading south and cutting over toward Tucson, going around the Phoenix area. Instead I flipped the trip on its head, and pointed the Airstream North!
Avoiding Phoenix with the Airstream in tow is something I do. Driving through Phoenix without the Airstream in tow is often crazy enough. And since I didn’t feel like dealing with the metro area, it seemed easier to head toward Flagstaff, and take a totally different route into New Mexico.
We headed to Springerville, AZ.
A friend of mine is starting a new business in the Springerville area, and since I had never been there before it sounded like a fun trip, and seeing a new part of AZ sounded interesting too.
The plan worked out great. One night was spent at the Bear Paw campground, and then this morning we headed west along Route 60. We stayed between 7,000 and 8,000 feet above sea level for most of the day. So every mountain side we saw facing north was still snow covered. All the scenery facing south was clear of snow. Of course, there wasn’t the type of coverage New England has been seeing.
The Airstream’s first satellite dish
Along the route we ran across the VLA (Very Large Array) in New Mexico. Giant dishes in the middle of the desert pointing skyward! Extremely cool to see. And no, there weren’t any alien abductions today. 🙂
After passing the VLA we continued on toward White Sands, New Mexico. That’s the final destination for the first leg of our trip. But on the way travel plans changed again. With several beautiful lakes to our east as we headed south toward White Sands it was decided to cut the day short, enjoy something unexpected, and finish our 1 hour of additional driving tomorrow.
Caballo State Park
So tonight the Airstream is at rest at Caballo State Park. It’s a nice place to be sure, and at $14 with water and electric, it’s not a budget breaker. A few hours after arriving, a 23 ft 2014 Airstream pulled in across from us. A micro rally I suppose.
Tomorrow we’ll get to White Sands and spend several days in the area. I’m hoping for some clouds to improve contrast, but I think I might be working with solid blue skies for a few days to come. Still, White Sands will be a great addition to this site’s sister site, and I have a few idea for RV’ers visiting the area!
With the sun setting it’s time to have a little something for dinner, and then call it an early night.