Showers Bring Flowers

The desert is incredibly beautiful since we received so much rain so far this year--almost 4 1/2 inches. That is unusual for Arizona for this time of year. Friday we went hiking with our friend Barbara and her friend Mickey. And it is also green, greener than we have seen before.

We found pots of gold everywhere.  Not the type you find at the end of the rainbow.  These were poppies and daisies in yellow, gold and some orange.

We also saw a lot more green than we usually find in the Arizona desert.

There was also a field of daisies along the road before we entered the park.

We are looking forward to seeing the cactus plants bloom soon.

Cochiti Lake Campground

We have been to the Cochiti Lake COE Campground several times and in many ways we really like it. Since it is a Corps of Engineers campground, we get to use our federal senior pass and the cost is only $10 a night for a 50-amp electric site. Our section site did not have a water or sewer hookup. The park gives easy access to Santa Fe and the sites are large.

One downside is the really narrow asphalt parking pad. We did have a pull-through site, but look at how close our front steps are to the edge of the pavement. We had to be careful going in and out of the door.

The site is large and has a concrete picnic table--down 7 steps from the RV. We didn't use that area. I only used the loop restroom once, but enjoyed the mural inside.

This is a view of the lake. We saw a few fishing boats on the water and saw a couple of pontoon boats moving that direction. One marina has quite a few sailboats. We only saw one out on the water.

This was one amenity we really enjoyed. Our Verizon broadband card had an excellent signal.

I found some poppies in the campground. We have seen them in Arizona and California but I didn't know they grew in northern central New Mexico.

I am sure we will stay in Cochiti Lake Campground again in our travels between Colorado and Arizona.

Smoke as We Travel East

After two weeks at Ridgway State Park, we headed east. First stop was in Gunnison to have some work done on our truck at the Chevy dealer. The trip took us past Blue Mesa Reservoir which stretches 20 miles along US Hwy 50. It is usually a beautiful drive but there is so much smoke from the forest fires in Oregon and Montana we could hardly see the water at times.

There was also road construction along the route, of course. It is summer, isn't it? Look at the long line of vehicles ahead of us.

There were some pretty rock formations along the road, as well.

At the KOA in Gunnison we saw some cute decorations and chain-saw carvings.

I love poppies like this.

And then there was the pet donkey. He and John quickly made friends.

Hiking and Eating

Spring has definitely arrived in our part of Arizona.  Friday we walked from our resort to the backside of Silly Mountain.  The poppies are blooming.

We have had above average rain and the desert is really green.  It's not often we see the ground this color here.  It is so nice.

After our walk we met our friend David and Alice and their daughter Teresa (I hope I spelled her name correctly) for lunch at Janie's Burrito Café in Gold Canyon.  We enjoyed the food and the time with friends.