May 6 to May 9, 2010

Thursday, May 6, 2010
We left the Sante Fe KOA at check out time and took I-25 south to get back on Rt 285 north, which took us back through Sante Fe and all the way to Colorado, about 170 miles. It was a pretty drive a lot of the way up here. We went through the Rio Grande National Forrest and it was over 8,500 feet. There were patches of snow on the mountain sides not too far away. It was very open all around and it seemed like we were surrounded by mountains everywhere in the far distance. When we got to Alamosa, CO we stopped for gas. It was so windy that Charlie could hardly get the van door open at the Walmart gas pumps, and then one of those outside ground signs flew by and almost hit him. We got on Rt 17 there, and started watching for motels on the way to Hooper because we were afraid we might need one. There is a sticker on the outside of our camper that says "WARNING DO NOT OPEN IN HIGH WINDS". We arrived at the campground at the Sand Dunes Swimming Pool, and after angling the camper just right, and a little struggle, we got it open. The camper next to us blocked the wind somewhat. Charlie left the camper hitched to the van since the chock blocks might not be enough during the night. Sometimes the wind gusts are so strong and steady, it sounds and feels like someone is driving off with us in the camper, and we are heading down the road at 60 miles an hour. Last year we came to Hooper for swimming for the first time, it was windy then too, but not quite as cold. It is in the low forties at night and in the low sixties during the day. It is a fascinating place and we just had to come back. I am re-posting my description from last year's journal: Hooper is in the San Luis Valley in Southern Colorado. There are sand dunes, naturally hot water, gators, a speedway, and UFO enthusiasts. We skipped the speedway, UFO watchtower, and gators this trip. But I was curious about the gators. It turns out the facility started as a fish farm of Tilapia and African perch. The location was picked because of the warm geothermal water resources in the valley. They purchased 100 baby alligators to dispose of dead fish and the remains of filleted fish. What do you know, the gators grew! So they opened to the public in 1990 as Colorado Gators. Soon people with unwanted gators and other reptiles such as pythons, tortoises, iguanas, and more, started dropping them off, so they have quite a few reptiles now. We camped at the Sand Dunes Swimming Pool and RV Park. We had great views of the mountains from the RV and from the pool. The swimming pool is advertised as a Natural Hot Artesian Oasis. That is just what it is too. Well water enters the pool at 118 degrees. The pool is kept at 98 to 100 degrees. To regulate the temperature, hot and cold water pour into the pool as needed. I love standing under the hot water as it really pounds into the pool. I am not the only one, sometimes I have to wait my turn. What a great massage. Charlie does not care for it though. There is also a therapy pool kept between 105 to 107 degrees, it has jets, and it is big enough for 25 people. Charlie doesn't like that either. I did, but can't stay in for long. A baby pool with a creepy looking fountain named Puffenstuff (a dragon with water flowing from it's nose into the pool) is out of the sun. The elevation is about 7,500 feet so it is cool during the day and cold at night. It is windy almost all the time. The pool is warmer than the air so we get in the water and stay in up to our necks. It is just great. There is no chlorine or any other chemicals; instead, the pools are emptied and refilled every Thursday. Also, water appears to be constantly flowing in and out of the pool. The water flowing out of the pool goes into a pipe and then comes out at the top of a slide below the pool, making a play area for children. The slide empties into a little pond that is also open for swimming. Back to today: We arrived here this afternoon knowing the pool is closed for the Thursday cleaning. Charlie peeked in and sure enough, all of the pools are empty. It seems impossible that the pools will be filled and ready for swimming by tomorrow morning. We stayed in our little camper tonight and watched a movie on the computer, and tried to stay warm. We are pretty much stocked up on supplies but we may head into Alamosa for a meal or two. The snack bar here has a lot of fresh items that are grown in the green houses heated by the artesian well water. We are looking forward to seeing what is on the menu tomorrow and to swimming all day.

Friday, May 7, 2010
We woke up to a cold, but sunny, windy day. It took awhile but we finally got ourselves, and Joey, together and headed over to the pool. Dogs are allowed in the pool area! Possibly in the pool as well, but we were not interested in that. He would be a chili dog when he came out. We took the stroller and used it to keep him out of the wind and sun part of the time. What would we do without the stroller? We have not been able to get into Wal-Marts lately though. Maybe Wal-Mart is onto us and sent out an e-mail across the country??? Oh well, the weather has been such that he can stay in the van without a problem. Still, this is another instance where I wish we had a regular camper he could easily stay in when we need to leave him. One time we did set up the camper on the side of the road because it was just to hot for him to be in the van. Charlie is more than willing to do that, but it is a nuisance. The pool is in such a unusual setting with snow capped mountains all around. It was crowded today with lots of young people. They were playing volleyball in a large grassy area, and basketball in the pool. I stood under the hot waterfall as long as I could stand it, and I wished I could have gotten my hip under it, but the water is up to my shoulders. Charlie took lots of pictures. Not posted yet, but there are pics on this blog from last year. We had a good lunch and too much sun. Joey was the only dog there today and he got lots of attention. It was a good day. We are getting really really tired of not having running water in the camper. Not too mention no fridge when we are on the move. Charlie is looking on the internet again for a camper, any camper, that will meet our needs, and still be small enough to pull with the mini-van. He may have found one nearby to look at tomorrow.....we will see. We tried to pretend we can do this, bought plastic utensils, but eating out all the time and struggling just to brush our teeth everyday is getting to be too much! If we can't make a change, we really need to head home.

Saturday, May 8, 2010
We got up early intending to go back to the pool before leaving here, but then decided not to. Charlie really did get too much sun. He was already tan, but now he has a burn on top of it, his hair and beard seem to be getting whiter, and he needs a haircut and beard trim. Frankly, he looks kind of wild! I like wild. It is a warmer day today, but still windy, and a couple of people are flying kites. We, I should say Charlie, spent the morning talking to our camping neighbors. He always talks to everybody, I have just never had that much to say. I like to write though, you might have noticed, if you are still with me.... Anyway, everywhere we go people are interested in our camper and we don't mind showing it off, but we are not really good promoters since we are not happy with it. We got back on Rt 285 and drove about 70 miles north to Poncha Springs. We bought a camper from a guy named Cody at a dealership. It is a 2007 Bantam 17 (foot), Rocky Mountain edition. It is a real camper with all the storage space we could ever need and we are very happy, and hoping we did the right thing. We got a good price for the Aliner, so we will be leaving it behind, so sad. Our new camper is supposed to be ready on Tuesday so we are hanging out here in the 4 Seasons RV Resort in Salida for a few days. It is right on Route 50, the same Route 50 that goes east all the way to Ocean City Maryland. We had thought it would be fun to head east on there for awhile as we head home, but now I don't know where we are going. Certainly we are hoping to stay out for another month. The van will be worked on tomorrow to add extra brakes or something, and the camper needs to have an equalizer or something so that we can safely tow it. If all goes well we will be back on the road on Tuesday.

Sunday, May 9, 2010
I relaxed this morning and talked awhile with Mom. When I got off the phone Charlie gave me the good news that he finally figured out what that unpleasant odor is in the mini-van. Ever since before we visited Jeanne we have noticed this smell but could not locate it. Kinda musty ya know? There is so much stuff in the van, but we couldn't find anything that would cause any kind of smell. Well, this morning he lifted the third seat out of the well and discovered that one of the coolers has been leaking all this time. The leather seat was saturated and the carpet soaked under about two inches of water. Our 2004 Honda has been in pristine condition all these years. Garage kept, not much mileage. Not after this trip! Anyway we are glad to be taking care of this problem before he takes it to the dealer for the brake system tomorrow. After Charlie got most of the water out, we went to a car wash and used the vac to suck up as much of the water out of the carpet as we could. We had a nice dinner and took a walk in the campground tonight. This area is big on fly fishing and rafting and the camp is right on the river, so it is pretty here.