discovery

Exploring Our New Surroundings

After moving, quite literally, across the country, you’d think that we’d be tired of traveling. It was quite the contrary though and we couldn’t wait to get out and explore this foreign (to us) and spectacular landscape. Heading 30min to the west, we stopped visited a little town that some consider the sole reason for Nevada even being on the map, Virginia City. When I say this small town put Nevada on the map, I’m not kidding. When a massive silver deposit known as the Comstock Lode was discovered here in 1859, this place literally blew up overnight and is credited with supporting the growth of not only Nevada, but San Francisco as well. If the silver discovery wasn’t enough for people to remember this small town, then the 1960’s classic tv show “Bonanza” definitely was. This tv show ran for 14 seasons and 431 episodes, from 1959 to 1973 bringing the 1860’s Nevada silver rush to the living room of every family in America.

My dad used to watch reruns of Bonanza when I was a child. Never did I think that this small town boy from Minnesota would ever end up on the streets that this tv show depicted for millions to see. Another thing I didn’t expect, as we explored the streets of this historic western town, was another small town name from a Midwest town, Samuel Clemens. I know, I know. You’re like, “Who the heck is Samuel Clemens?” Well, let me tell you a little story. Samuel Clemens, of Florida, Missouri, moved out west like most folks after the silver was discovered in Virginia City. He had hopes of striking it rich, but ultimately had to seek other employment to make ends meet. He began his writing career by writing for the local paper in 1862 under the alias “Mark Twain”. In 1864 he left Virginia City and made his way to California where he wrote the literature that he is most famous for now. We run into another place that Mr. Clemens was at before he ended up in Virginia City a couple of months later but we’ll save that story for another time.

After exploring the streets of Virginia City and having some very unhealthy food to eat, we decided to go explore another locality that was 45min to the southwest. We made our way west on historic US Route 50 into Carson City, the state capital, and up and over the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains to a place that I’d personally dreamt of visiting all of my life. Up and over the mountain pass and making our way down the back ridge paradise started to come into focus. I say paradise, because if you’d ask me to describe what paradise looks like it wouldn’t be too far from what we were seeing. Majestic green pines, granite boulders and outcrops, snow capped mountains all around and of course the crystal clear blue waters of Lake Tahoe lying before us. Paradise people, paradise. Unfortunately, this day we were only able to catch a glimpse from the shores near Glenbrook, NV due to the late hour of the day and the impending blizzard that was moving in from the west. We thought it best to head back over the mountain pass and back home before the winter weather made us temporary residents of the area, not that we would’ve minded too much. Rest assured though, as we’ll make our way back to Lake Tahoe once again in the future.

A Quick Stop In Tucson

After a few days of traveling, it was nice to have a change of pace. Arriving at our friends home in Tucson we quickly transitioned from run, run, run to let’s take care of some life maintenance and take a little time to relax. After starting some laundry, we pulled everything out of the van to clean and do a reset. If you’ve traveled long enough you know that not everything ends up back where it belongs and sometimes it just feels good to clean and reset everything.

It was a welcomed change of pace. Once the life maintenance things were mostly completed, we enjoyed our time with our friends hanging out in their beautiful oasis that they had created in their backyard. After a little relaxation we escaped the afternoon heat at one of their favorite restaurants and enjoyed some exquisite mexican cuisine and grandiose margaritas. The food and drinks were excellent as was the company. After making a loop around Tucson to take in the urban sights we retired to the backyard oasis and enjoyed one anothers company before calling it a night.

The next morning we arose to the sounds of birds chirping and a beautiful Arizona sunrise. The early morning air was cool as we made our way to the Catalina Foot Hills and Finger Rock Trailhead. Here we were treated to a beautiful hike amongst the saguaro cacti and the rugged landscape. The views were breathtaking and it was our first up close experience with the massive yet beautiful saguaros. We were surprised to learn about how old each of them were. Did you know that a saguaro cactus can reach 40ft in height? Did you also know that they grow rather slowly, taking up to ten years to grow an inch, and 70 years to reach 6.5 ft tall? At that height, they supposedly can start to flower for the first time in their lives. Upon reaching the age of 95-100 years old, a saguaro cactus’ height may measure up to 15-16 ft. We were floored learning this information, especially given the fact that we were standing in a valley surrounded by giant saguaro cacti!

Departing the trail, before the heat of the day really set in, we made our way to a quaint little farmers market in town before retiring back to the backyard oasis. Here we spent the rest of the day enjoying each other’s company with a little bit of tinkering on an old Landy Hi-Cap pick-up truck thrown in for good measure.

The next morning we set off to explore the Mission of San Xavier del Bac. The missing was founded by Padre Kino in 1692 and is Arizona’s oldest European structure as well as a masterpiece of Spanish Colonial architecture. The Mission was gorgeous as were the views outside. Truly a place to experience if you ever have the chance. Side note, it’s also the first place that we experienced a Roadrunner in the wild. Trivial for some I’m sure but for us, being from the east coast this was an exciting thing to see. After the mission we indulged in a local favorite known as BK Carne Asada and Hot Dogs. I know, I know… Those two things don’t seem like they go together but you’re totally wrong and so was I. It reminded me of a Chicago style hotdog with a Mexican twist and it was delicious!

On our last night of visiting our friends, we loaded the vehicles in preparation for our early morning departure and settled in to an amazing dinner that they had prepared. Food, laughter, great company and sometimes a drink truly do wonders for the soul.

Just North Of The Border

Leaving camp the next morning, we made our way to El Paso, TX where we had our first ever glimpse of the southern border and Mexico. We have never been anywhere even close to either and found it quite intriguing. It was definitely not what we were expecting and the mountains off in the distance around Ciudad Juárez seemed to call out to us with their beauty. Stopping at a shopping center to resupply and fuel up, we were enthralled by the atmosphere and the culture.

With our quick resupply finished, Jennifer and I scoured the map trying to determine our next route. The interstate appeared to be backed with construction just outside of town and sitting in traffic just didn’t seem that exciting of a prospect to us. After a few minutes, we discovered state road NM-9 that ran along the border and it looked like it would be a little more of an interesting ride. Interesting was right. The views from this road were absolutely breathtaking. Open country for as far as the eye can see and absolutely no cell service, except for the two spots that our phones thought we were in Mexico. We truly felt alone and in the middle of nowhere and it was great!

We continued along NM-9 until we came to the quaint little town of Columbus, NM. Revisiting the map and recognizing that it was getting late in the day and we had only covered 75 miles since leaving El Paso, TX, we decided to turn north on NM-11. This would bring us back to I-10 and allow us to make up some much needed time. That was, until we happened upon a border patrol station that was doing routine vehicle/passenger checks. After waiting in line for 10 minutes and not really knowing what to expect, it was our turn. The Border Patrol Agents approached and asked “Are you U.S. Citizens?” and “This thing is sweet, is it a 4x4 Van?” Which then led to a 15 minute conversation between the Border Patrol Agents, Hadley and I about the van and traveling. Pulling away, I felt sorry for the people waiting behind us but mostly Jennifer and Bailey because I knew they’d been wondering what was going wrong and were we going to have to stay here for a while.

With the border patrol station behind us we continued north to I-10 and then west to the town of Lordsburg, NM where we stopped for fuel. While fueling up, Jennifer discovered that there was a public park south of town where free camping was allowed. With the sun completely set and the tanks topped off, we made our way to Veterans Park and chose our spot near some other travelers and turned in for the night.

The next morning, we were quick to get back on the road and pick up where we had left off. We made our way to the town of Wilcox, AZ for a special stop. Our friends had recommended a stop at Dos Cabezas, a cute little coffee shop located in the heart of town. Keen to take their advice, as they’d never steered us wrong before, we popped in for a bit and were once again pleasantly surprised. The coffee and food were delicious and the atmosphere was down right delightful. We highly recommend a stop in if you’re ever in the area and in the mood.

After coffee and breakfast, we were back on the road for our final push to Tucson, AZ. It was still early in the day and we were able to make it there just in time to get the van set up and join our friend for lunch.

The next few days were spent catching up with old friends and exploring some of the things that the Tucson area had to offer. More on that next time…..