View from the NYC hotel

Staying at the Roger Smith Hotel in east Midtown, attending the BEA show and visiting with Seb. Nice room, good deal, street maket setting up this morning, looking forward to pizza.

Denver for a while

For a week or so at Mary's place, in Broomfield, with a view of the snow dipped mountains, in the dry air, blue sky, a little mist when we arrived, temperatures up and down as usual. We'll be meeting with advisors to sort out what to do about our business, planning the trip to New York, moving our stuff around (found a new, closer self storage who offered us free RV storage as well - recession lemonade) taking a road breather, eat some pizza and watch basketball.

Top of the Rockies RV Park, outside Salida

Camping in May and September in the Rockies, before schools is out, before all the car campers are let loose, is ideal. We had this place nearly to ourselves, grilled a couple of rib eyes and some corn, surrounded by quiet mountains, though the owner wondered how we survived the Mexican drug cartels without proximity to our own guns.

25/night, full hookups.

The Million Dollar Highway

From Durango the road goes up alot, to the little town of Silverton, and then over the "Million Dollar Highway" to Ouray. Spectacular snow-capped peaks and steep waterfalls all along the way, slow going in the View but happily so.

Durango

Only made it to Durango last night, stayed at the United Campground just north of town, Spring bursting out everywhere, the Animas river nearby, and the Durango-Silverton steam train passes right through the park. A woman on her condo balcony next door did loud battle over her cell phone while looking down on me emtpying our tanks.

$25/night off season. Full hookups.

Today's road to Silverton

Jim Harrison, a favorite novelist and travel writer, preaches the virtue of staying off the interstates and wandering backroads, and though the View pulling the tow car does not always like the steep hills and bumpy roads we encounter (Navajo roads often long for a fresh layer of pavement), we try to follow that road philosophy when life and work allow.

After some work we have to make progress north into Colorado, so here's the plan - from Homolovi we'll go down 40 a bit, then up 191 to Chinle in Navajo country, past the Canyon de Chelly National Monument, through the 4 Corners, over to Durango and north to Silverton, where we'll camp somewhere with a cable connnection so I can indulge my wish to watch the Lakers fight with Houston.

Homolovi Ruins State Park, AZ

After the suburban Beaudry it is a pleasure to camp at a state park like Homolovi, with big wide spaces, long vistas, breezy big sky, 900 year old ruins to wander but just a couple of miles off the highway. Arizona does these kinds of parks well.

$10-19/night, electric, water, dump station

Beaudry RV Resort, Tucson

Checked into the nearly empty, so clean, quiet and manicured Beaudry's RV Resort (being part of the Monaco dealership, which is bankrupt, they have apparently filed for bankruptcy as well) to settle our minds and bodies after the long drive, swim in the pool, soak in the hot tub, do some laundry, catch a nap and catch up with work, and a big risky deal brewing.

And there appeared Evan and Tracey out of the hot sun, hanging around trying to decide whether to go back south again in to Mexico or North to national parks, cooking us burgers (our 2nd of the day) and musing over destinations.

$29 a night, full hookups and cable TV, so saw a little of the Lakers

Desert Diamond Casino boondocking, Tucson

Crossed the eerily quiet Nogales border easily, with little traffic due to the holiday and the flu scare, and showed up late to boondock at the Desert Diamond Casino just off Hwy 19. Ate soup and salad, watched the Lakers lose, then got up early in the hot, dry air, a long walk around the lot for Holly, picking prickly thorns out of our paws but followed with a rich t-bone steak and eggs breakfast, but not tempted by the slots.

No charge
Steak and Eggs - 6.95

Nogales border

Monday, a holiday, swine flu fever keeping things quieter still, and so we drove up nearly to the crossing without wait while last year the line took 2 hours. US customs boarded the RV, asked about rabies shots, asked about plants, had a look in the fridge, asked about dog food and instructed me carefully to reply "we only have enough for today", so I did.

Pemex Truck Stop, Los Mochis

From San Blas, 9 hours and a lot of tolls later down the newly paved toll road, we're boondocking among the truckers, who have lugubrious call girls visit in the night.

Though across the street is El Gordos, a favorite Carne Asada restaurant, we lazily opted for in-house microwave lasagna from CostCo and a vodka tonic.

No charge.

Paraiso Miramar Hotel/RV Park, San Blas

Drove a few hours, thought about Mazatlan but moving made us tired, so found a few spots on the grass behind a pool cabana and wide trees, green grass, sunsets, cliffside restaurant, but too many boom-booms in the night for Holly's taste,

We have a "Gray Rule", which goes, "If you are in a place where you can dump, then dump" particularly on a long unpredictable journey, so we did, but just a few feet from a breakfasting group of nationals, so sorry.

247 pesos/electric, water, sewer, wifi