El Golfo, Mexico

We arrived in El Golfo at the RV park (Nov. 19) here, that is one of the CRA(Colorado River Adventures) parks. As I have written earlier about our stay here please refer to an earlier post on our stay here. If I can I will post some more pics as we travel around the area. We have noticed that there is far more activity in the area since last year and there is more vehicle traffic. Also a couple more ALTO (stop) signs have been added!! Why. Because they can. I'll have to take the camera out and take a picture. It is a four way stop but only the gringos obey the sign. Mexicans, its look around and continue on. You have to be careful, because if you are involved in an accident, trust me, you are in the wrong. Mexico law....you are quilty till proven innnocent. Better have insurance.

Yuma, AZ and to Emerald Cove RV Resort in Earp, CA

We got away from Carlsbad and drove to ElPaso, TX. We arrived after 7 pm and headed for an RV park to stay for a few days. Upon arrival we found the park full and it was too late to look for another. So on to the local WalMart for the night. We got up the next morning, rather than find another RV park we headed to Yuma. We were intending to go across the border (walking of course) into Mexico as we were so close. But that was too much of a hassle so on we went. Arrived in Tucson, AZ around supper time & we shut it down for the night. Left early the next morning and continued the drive to Yuma, AZ. We stopped at an RV Park in Welton where we had stayed before. We visited with some old acquaintances we had not seen since last year. We then pulled out & headed for Suni Sands RV Park. After setting up we went and saw friends who now live in Yuma. We stayed there for 3 nights doing some running around and a trip across the border into Algadones, MX for a few items. the following morning we arrived at our intended destination til Nov. 14th. Emerald Cove RV Resort is one of seven resorts in the CRA (Colorado River Adventures) system. We like it because the weather is mild, temperatures are warm and we have made many a good friend here. One of these friends has a pontoon boat & we are able to cruise up and down the Colorado River on a regular basis with them. For instance after our arrival, Doris & Marcel arrived with whom we had stayed with in Minnesota. After getting them set up we went & got the pontoon from storage, unwrapped it, cleaned it and started the motor. We then put it in the river and we went cruising up the Colorado River to the Roadrunner Cafe as it was a wonderful warm day. Temperature here since our arrival has been in the high 80's and low 90's. After arriving back to Emerald Cove we found that Dave & Donna pulled in between us about a half hour after leaving the dock. Pictures at http://community.webshots.com/user/ramit56 under Emerald Cove 2007. Not hard to take at all.

The Roadrunner Cafe

Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico

White City and the Post Office at White City

We got away on a right sunny day from Oklahoma City. It was windy but after three days it was time to move on. We drove a long day and the highway was much improved. What a difference from the drive to Oklahoma City. The highway was good and no bumps, cracks or holes. We stayed that night in Hobbs, New Mexico, where else but WalMart. The next morning we are up and on the road early. Still windy. We got to White City,NM the entrance to Carlsbad Caverns. We parked our motorhome there, disconnected the car and drove up to Carlsbad Caverns. We did the self tour and wish we had taken a flashlight with us. Next time as we only did half the tour which took us 2 and a half hours. After you enter the cave you descend 750 feet, the equivalent of a 80 story building. That is a long walk! As you descend the walkway is all paved and has handrails also you notice the coolness and humidity. There is several points of interest along the way and you can read the plaques posted there. At the very bottom there is a kiosk with sandwiches and drinks. Also a washroom in the "Great Room". We exited by elevator and were worn out from the walk. The entrance fee is very reasonable and was all in all an interesting tour. Pictures can be seen at http://community.webshots.com/user/ramit56 under Carlsbad Caverns & Cactus

On our way back to White City and down from the caverns there was a 9 mile scenic drive on gravel. We took this road and it skirted in and around the hills of the caverns and we stopped and took some pictures of cacti. Here is a couple of shots.

Alfred P Murrah Memorial

This is a picture I have taken from the website and copied it here. This is an aerial photo taken after the bombing of the Alfred P Murrah Building. Credit for the photo goes to the http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/pubs/aug01/murrah.jpg

This inscribed on the Gates entrance to the Memorial and I have copied it here:

We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.®

When we were on our way to Oklahoma City it was of particular interest to see the Alfred P Murrah Memorial. We remember hearing and seeing the devastation that a person caused on that fateful day in April, 19,1995. We watched the reactions on the TV that day & thought how could a person be so mad at the government that they want to harm so many innocent people. The result is a memorial to the people left behind. To tour and listen to the Park Ranger as they retell the story of before and after the tragedy. When you walked through the before gate - 9:01 and leave at the 9:03 gate you are met with silence, reverence and a sense of ah.... One must go there to truly see the memorial and to feel the presence and power left behind of a resilient people of Oklahoma City. The memorial has 168 chairs representing those lives lost in the building. These chairs are arranged with the number of people lost on each of the 9 floors of the building. The second floor housed a daycare centre and you can see more than one chair with an family name inscribed. We saw two chairs with one family last name. And another two chairs with the same family last name. So we are assuming that some family may have lost there children to this tragedy. In the evening the chairs are all lit up from within the glass enclosed base of each. I have included one picture in the set although it isn't that good just to show them lit. Pictures can be seen at http://community.webshots.com/user/ramit56 under Alfred P Murrah Memorial The website for the Alfred P Murrah Memorial is http://www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org/ and also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_P._Murrah_Federal_Building

Oklahoma City

Image at entrance to Cowboy Museum

From Memphis we headed towards Oklahoma City. We stopped in Alma, Arkansas at a RV resort and stayed the night. That night we had and electrical storm and wind. The next morning the storm had past and we were in sunshine again. On our continued drive to Oklahoma City we stopped at a casino for a rest and lunch stop. We thought while we were here we might as well see if we can make enough to pay for lunch. We made $46.00 between us and when we looked at the restaurant menu we didn't see anything we would like, so took our money and left. We had lunch in the motorhome instead. We continued our drive and along the way the wind picked up. By the time we got to Oklahoma City we were battling a pretty good wind & we were ready to stop. We also wondered what Oklahoma did with the road tax. Hwy 40 west from the Arkansas border left much to be desired. Bumps, cracks, holes was much the order of our drive. Horrible condition. We stayed at the Rockwell RV Resort on the west end of the city. We were parked along the fence as all available spots were taken. We had full hookups there and this was fine because we weren't planning on spending time there. The first night there we went to Toby Keiths 'I Love this Bar and Grill' restaurant. We walked around the 'Bricktown Center' and thought we must come back and investigate more. The next morning we spent over half the day at the Alfred P. Murrah Memorial site. More on this in a separate blog. After this we went back to Bricktown and walked around and sat and watched people. An interesting and inviting and relaxing place to be. On the grounds just beyond the parking lot the city is creating a reenactment of the homesteading of land in Oklahoma. Pictures can be seen at http://community.webshots.com/user/ramit56 under Oklahoma City

Indian statue on new dome on State Capital Building