Do I need to say that I am still homebound?  Anyway, last Sunday I had a delightful time entertaining friends with my husband.  The two couples that we had over for dinner are also Rvers with class A Motorhomes.  The two couples had both recently been away but neither had been in their RV’s.  One had been to Sedona, Arizona and the other had been to New Bern, North Carolina.  We shared pictures and stories and we shared from our March trip to the Tucson, Arizona area in our RV.  The couple that had been to North Carolina, has also been to Alaska three times and Alaska is a goal of ours — 2012 or 2013.  The pictures from their 1996 trip were incredible –eagles on the beach, mountains, the Alaskan Highway.  They looked great and we can’t wait to have pictures of our own.  It was an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon, just like an evening around the campfire but without the smoke and the mosquitoes.

Still homebound.  I am itching to get on the road but work, school, and family obligations must be fulfilled.  So, I have discovered a way to travel each morning.  I watch Sunrise Earth.  This wonderful program is an hour of recorded sunrise from somewhere on the planet.  Yesterday was the Penobscot River in Maine.  This morning was Sequoia National Park in California.  There is no talking, just the natural sounds.  From time to time, a blurb with interesting facts will come onto the screen.  You can watch Sunrise Earth on the Animal Planet channel.  Or, if you have HD, you can watch it on HD Theater.  The website for Sunrise Earth on HD is very complete.  It has a place where you can submit photos of a sunrise, you can go on location to the various sites featured, you can even watch a sunrise through Google Earth.  I loved looking at Bison at Yellowstone which is a place that I visited two years ago and took an early morning tour, not quite sunrise, and saw the clouds of exhaled air coming from the breathing bison and elk.  It was beautiful. 

So, this morning, though I know my day will be hectic, I have started it in a very serene state after viewing the giant sequoias and knowing just what a small space on this earth and in time that I occupy.  It is awesome!

My favorite place to camp in New Jersey is Belleplain State Forest in Woodbine, NJ.  Belleplain is in both Cumberland and Cape May Counties, off of Rte. 347 on the way to the southern NJ shore – Cape May, Wildwood, Avalon, Stone Harbor, etc.  (Look at my friend Kathy’s blog post about a day trip that she took with her son in some of this same area.)

There are a number of roomy sites for our 40-ft. motorhome.  We have to boondock, or dry camp, because there are no hook-ups at the sites, but there is dump and water is also available. 

For us, Belleplain is only an hour and a half from home.  We usually stay for no longer than three days, just a nice get-away, especially when homebound.  (Like now.  I can feel a trip to Belleplain coming on!) 

We have seen Belleplain in every season.  My least favorite season is summer and that is only because the campgrounds are full.  There are people everywhere and that is very good for the park.  (See my posts on my other blog, At One With The World, about possible park closures in the proposed state budget.)  The park has a recreation area — Lake Nummy which is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day and people from the local area come to swim, boat, and picnic.  An interpretive nature center, with activities for the children during the summer, is across from the lake.

But, I enjoy Belleplain best when there are few people around and the park seems like my own private haven.

My favorite season is fall.  Fall is my favorite season in general, but at Belleplain, I can walk among the fallen leaves in some areas and among the fallen pine needles in others.  In the early morning, the air is damp and redolent with pine.  I enjoy rides on my bicycle on the various trails when I don’t have to dodge people or horses.  The Pine Barrens are one of my favorite parts of the state and Belleplain is at the very southern edge of the Pine Barrens.

During the fall of 2006, the conditions were right for a lot of red in the colors of the changing leaves.  Johnnie and I always travel with our camera, so we were able to spend an afternoon photographing the red in the leaves and even found a red mushroom.  Below are some of the pictures from that trip.

As I have said multiple times, I am currently homebound, my term for when I am not on the road in the rv.  Other than a few weekend jaunts, I know that I am going to be homebound until August.  I love blogging and I can’t possibly maintain this particular blog if I don’t go on the road again until August.  So, I have decided on a new tack. 

My husband Johnnie and I have been to all of the contiguous 48 states at one time or another.  Some states we have only driven through on our way to other destinations.  Some we have stayed in overnight.  A choice few we have visited multiple times and plan to return to. 

During the next three and one half months, I will share places we have visited in those states, most with the rv, some without.  Those that we have spent a lot of time in, I will write multiple posts. 

The place to start is at the beginning and the beginning of all of our travel is from our home in New Jersey.  There are some very interesting places in the Garden State.  I write another blog, At One With the World, and in that blog I have been writing about NJ Governor Corzine’s proposal to close nine state parks as a budget balancing measure.  I strongly oppose that decision and so this seems to be the place to start.  In the next few days, look for a post on my time spent in the state parks of New Jersey.

How do you enjoy the benefits of rving when you are homebound?  Plan a future trip and imagine what can be seen from the rear view window!

I love to just open the atlas to a page and read the map.  Green spaces, whether state parks, national parks, or other greens, are revealed.  Colleges, universities, museums, other major attractions are highlighted.  All of these are potential places to visit.  Familiar places also reveal themselves and trips come together.

Johnnie and I plan to go west in August.  We know that we will eventually take I-94 through North Dakota.  Fargo is a familiar name from the movie, Fargo.  Bismarck is familiar because it is the capital and becasue we stayed at the Bismarck KOA the last time we traveled this route.  There are not many identified greeen spaces on the map I am currently using, but one green space is Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  I know the name because when we were at the Petrified Forest National Park (AZ), Theodore Roosevelt National Park was identified as one of four “badlands” — Badlands National Park (SD), Petrified Forest National Park, El Malpais National Monument (NM), and Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  We have been to Badlands and to Petrified Forest, so a visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s badlands will be very interesting.  How will these badlands be different from the other two that we have seen, such as the one at Petrified Forest?  What different colors of rock can there be?  We have seen purple, yellow, red, orange, brown, gray.  What different shapes can there be?  How large will it be?  All of these questions fuel our imagination and allow us to get a view from our rear window while sitting still at home.

Johnnie and I have been back for over a week and it has been difficult returning to NJ.  The weather has not cool, it has been drier,and I miss the sun and warmth of AZ. 

In one of the many hats that I don, I am a graduate student.  In my course, Writing for Electronic Communities, I have ]been introduced to Voice Thread.  This is a very interesting tool.  You create a presentation that is interactive.  I have tried to post the short presentation into this blog but it seems that I am missing a step. 

I can talk about Wright Brothers National Memorial.  Of course, we all know that Orville and Wilbur Wright are considered the fathers of flight.  Johnnie is interested in all things that can move or be driven:  submarines, helicopters, semis, rv’s, etc.  What is most amazing to me is seeing the distance that was traveled in those beginning flights.  Just a few feet.  This was the beginning of flight and now we can travel thousands of miles with hundreds of people, enclosed, in the plane.  We enjoyed our afternoon at the park on our way to Cape Hatteras National Seashore which was our destination for the week.

The trip home is always difficult.  Johnnie and I love being on the road.  We have to convince ourselves that we need to come back, to make the money for the next trip!  We also start counting the days until the next trip:  121 days from today.

One thing that made part of the trip home pleasurable was driving through Albuquerque.  The overpasses of I-40 and I-25 are beautiful!  They are decorated with metalwork in the shape of cornstalks and other Native American symbols, each overpass different.  I searched for pictures of these beautiful overpasses on the Internet, starting with the City of Albuquerque website.  None could be found.  We were traveling far too fast to take pictures that would do the overpasses justice.  I hope that some one eventual does.  The one picture that I could find is of the “Big I“.  This is where I-40 and I-25 come together.  The ramps are a sand pink trimmed in blue, very pleasing to the eye.  I also found a picture of some of the giant pottery that can be found throughout the city.  There is giant pottery in the median of I-40 west of Juan Tabo Blvd and also west of San Mateo Blvd.  It is worth the drive down I-40 just to see these beautiful pots.  The City of Albuquerque should be commended for its use of art in beautifying all parts of the city!

  Yesterday’s adventure was to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.  It is about 1 1/2 hours from Tucson via Rte. 86 and Rte. 85.  The number of shrines to those killed on this road made us leery to travel it at night, so we took the much longer route Rte. 85 to I-8 to I-10.  Much longer but well-traveled once we hit the town of Ajo on Rte. 85 and the Interstates.

The Ajo Mountain Drive is 21 miles long and took about 2 hours with plenty of photo stops, observation stops, and lunch.  The speed limit is 25 mph but that is often a bone-jarring speed.  The signs say vehicles over 25 feet are prohibited, but even that should be reconsidered.  The road is rough.  It is often unpaved with rocks, sometimes paved, sometimes partially paved with lots of rocks.  It is full of dips and climbs, twists and turns without any warning.  Johnnie is an expert driver and I fully trust his capabilities to drive anywhere.  I, on the other hand, would have been holding my breath in a few places if I had been driving because of the heights with no guard rails, or the steep inclines and declines. 

We bought the trail guide book ($1 at the Visitors Center) so that we could read the information that went along with the 22 markers along the drive.  Well worth the dollar!

There are two places with covered ramadas for eating lunch.  We ate at stop #9, Diablo Canyon, because it was first and we were hungry.  The second stop #15 Estes Canyon was very scenic, too and would have been an excellent choice.

We were very surprised to see not one, but two arches.  The guide book said that there were a few arches in the Ajo Mountains, but only identified the larger of the two arches that we saw.

Once entiring Organ Pipe, we drove directly to the Visitors Center for a comfort stop and to get information on the various drives that are available.  One note, Organ Pipe borders the Mexico Border, so expect the possiblity of Border Patrol stops and an awareness of their presence. 

The Visitors Center has a small walk which introduces you to the area if you are not familiar with the Sonoran Desert habitat.  There is also a campground that can handle RV’s up to 40 feet.  We didn’t know this and will definitely stay at the campground for a day or two for our next visit.

We were prepared for the trip, having packed the fixings for our lunch in a cooler along with plenty of water.  We also had our digital camera, regular binoculars, and a new toy — Bushnell Image View binoculars and digital camera in one.  The photos below are from the binoculars, as the thumbnail photo at the beginning of this post.

There is much more to see at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and we are looking forward to a return visit.

Two nights ago, we went to look at the moon and stars.  The moon was just past full, so providing lots of light, in fact too much light for optimal stargazing.  But, the sky was darker and the stars brighter than what we are used to seeing in NJ.  To get a dark sky, we traveled west on I-10 to the Marana Exit (236) then took Frontage Road west to Missile Base Road (about 5 miles) then turned right onto Missile Base Road and drove a few miles north.  The sky was dark, the moon was bright, and Orion, the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, the Pleiades, and many, many more stars could be seen.  Romantic and relaxing!

Today’s adventure was a trip to Tombstone.  We visited Boot Hill Graveyard where the Clantons of OK Corral fame are buried.  The 1880 - 1900 time period in Tombstone was very violent, if you believe the tombstones.  Stabbings, murder, death by wagon wheel running over a skull, poisoning, suicide, mob lynching, legal hanging were some of the reasons for death along with a diptheria outbreak and drownings in the San Pedro River.  We missed the reenactment of the Gunfight at OK Corral but Johnnie, my husband, took some great pictures, especially for my mother.  Her all-time favorite movie is Gunfight at OK Corral.  Johnnie will make great son-in-law points when he gives her these pictures!

The best part of the trip was the drive to Tombstone.  We took Rte. 83 South to Rte. 82 East then Rte. 80 South.  Rte. 82 is listed as a scenic route, which it is.  The road has mountains in the near and far distance with desert meadows — I’m not sure that this is the correct term — with grazing cattle.  I call them desert meadows because they are grasslands with short yellow grass, very few if any trees (except if there is consistent water, which seems to be just along the San Pedro River bed). 

But the drive on Rte. 83 was even better.  We drove through the mountains.  Close.  The road wound around the mountains, up them and through them.  This was the first time that we rode with the Jeep’s top and sides off, so the mountains seemed even nearer since there was no glass separating us.  Johnnie commented on how he felt younger, with the wind blowing through the Jeep as we drove down the road.  I had a smile on my face for most of the trip.  Feeling younger, feeling relaxed.

The sun just set with a glowing pink sky.  Now the nearly full moon has risen, lighting the field of cactus in front of our RV.  Another perfect day in Arizona!