I might be a desert girl after all!?

Heading West across Texas was a long day's drive. I set out to do this in 2 days but just didn't find anything to hold my interest for stops and kept driving until next thing I knew I was almost to Deming, NM!  I have never seen so much roadkill in my life. I'm not just talking small animals, I saw at least 3 large deer, a few domestic pets and many small to medium animals. There wasn't much in the way of scenery and as I was driving I kept thinking that this really wasn't my kind of landscape.

I will say, El Paso was crowded, trafficky, small lanes with the city almost on top of the interstate. Very glad I didn't stay there. Instead I stayed at an Escapees park called Dreamcatcher RV in Deming, NM. The park is nice with good level gravel, spacious sites, nice small trees throughout (they were much prettier when I arrived - cold came!). They have activities, laundry, club house, shower and you can use the pool and exercise room at the hotel next door. Only drawback is Deming is at 4300' elevation, so on my second day here I was introduced to temperatures at night in the low 20's, a whole new experience for me.

I discovered by surprise that I truly do find this landscape beautiful. There is such serenity in being able to see miles and miles with no obstructions; no trees, no buildings, just open land. The sunrises and sunsets have such beautiful colors and you can truly enjoy them all around you. I went out and hiked at Rock Hounds State Park and Spring Canyon. Spring Canyon was a .9 mile hike up to the top of the ridge. It was pretty steep and slippery (loose rocks and gravel) in many places, but it was worth the hike to the top! I couldn't stay very long because of gusty winds making me nervous, but super glad I made the trek.

Panorama of the front side of the Spring Canyon trail.

View from the ridge looking to the other side.

On my way up!

Thunder egg trail at Rock Hound.

I also started some new good morning habits here, starting my day out with a 15 minute Yoga morning routine and 10 minute meditation. It feels good and sets the tone of my day! I was hoping to do some sunset yoga outside this evening, but instead it has turned cloudy, grey and windy. Deming also has a winery, St. Claire's, and tonight they have live music in the evening that I am looking forward to enjoying.

I met a nice couple that is also headed to Quartzsite and gave me their card and some places to check out. I look forward to meeting more new people on my journey. 

Tomorrow I head to Phoenix, AZ to put my Airstream in the shop this week (possible leak :$) and will be flying out to Irvine, CA for my work for a few days. When I return, it's onto Quartzsite!

-As always, lack of proper grammar, made up words and poor punctuation is a result of lack of care! 

Moonlight Lake RV Park - New Bern, NC

Moonlight Lake RV Park is located about 10 minutes from downtown New Bern, NC. The park is a small fairly inexpensive place to stay. Good things about the park: inexpensive laundry machines ($1.50 each), clean bath house with 2 private bath/showers, nice helpful staff on site (Stephanie!), decent location and seems to be safe. Bad things about the park: wi-fi is poor, verizon coverage is poor (had to buy a booster WeBoost 4G-X, after $500 still only slightly better), sites are close together, no trees for shade, campground needs  maintenance (sewer pipes not buried), 20amp connections don't work and utilities are all bunched together (water/electric too close for my comfort).

When I first showed up the spot they were going to put me in was even smaller then the one I'm in now. Fortunately, being a single woman backing up a TT myself Stephanie gave me a larger spot to make it easier. Unfortunately, I have nice neighbors who are here for a month also, but they have several dogs and the dogs park anytime I am outside, or they hear me. I can't even enjoy an evening outside and have a phone call because the barking is so loud and constant.

Things to note: $50 a month electricity allowance, if you go over you pay the difference. You can pay cash when you get here instead of credit card, if you want to have the freedom to change your mind. That being said the other parks in the area are more expensive, or as I hear, riddled with bugs.

Website: http://www.moonlightlake.com/
Location: New Bern, NC
Monthly Price: $450   Weekly: $140
Includes Wi-fi, Cable, Electricity, Water, Bathhouse
Date of Stay: June - July 2016