Monday, October 3, 2016

Campground Expenses: September 2016

Alternate title for this post: Breaking The Bank In Just Over Four Weeks!

Flagstaff views
We spent a lot (for our budget) on campsite fees in September. I'll attempt to justify the cost below, but first, here's a breakdown:

Sunflower River farm (August 26 - September 4): If you haven't read about our WWOOFing experience, click here for what worked and what didn't. One important benefit: our stay at the farm - which included a 20 amp electric connection, interactions with interesting people, lessons in organic farming, and access to separate facilities - was free.

Cost: $0

American RV Park (September 4 - 25): As Trent explained in a recent post, we loved this park. The facilities were clean and well maintained, it featured a swimming pool that our son used almost every day, breakfast was included in the cost of stay, and the park was centrally located for our many Albuquerque adventures. But the campsite rates reflected all of those perks. At $223 a week, it was definitely at the high end of our budget... and we stayed for three weeks.

Trent said to say that it was worth the cost, and I tend to agree. Our experience here was excellent. We would go back. (We'd probably stay for four weeks the next time and take advantage of the monthly rate, which is more cost efficient.)

Cost: $669

Flagstaff KOA (September 25 - October 2): I'm ambivalent about this park. On one hand, our site was exactly as advertised with respect to hookups. The electric, water, and sewer connections worked perfectly. The campground is shaded by tall pines and has a pleasing woodsy feel to it, and Sam loved the playground setup. The biggest plus was that this KOA offers on-site access to some of the most beautiful hiking trails in Flagstaff.

On the other hand, it is so very expensive - even with our 10% membership discount - and at peak times it feels a bit like an overcrowded parking lot. There's no pool (which makes sense, given the climate), and there's no free breakfast (Trent said to mention that, too... You know, for all you all-included-breakfast fans).

In short, we probably wouldn't stay here again. There's nothing wrong with it, but even in an expensive town like Flagstaff, there are other options.

Cost: $251.64

Total campground expenses for September: $920.64

Comparison: our combined June/July costs came out to $565 and our August total was $503. YIKES.

A bit of a justification:

First, we didn't use our Thousand Trails membership in September. TT doesn't have any campgrounds in New Mexico. I suppose we could have bypassed the state altogether, but that would have been sad - we would have missed out on so much. As for Arizona, there's a TT property near Sedona, but it was booked solid at the end of September. 

Second, $920 seems insanely expensive until you start comparing that to the cost of a decent hotel room for the same period of time or, say, the monthly rent on an apartment. (For fun, we looked up apartments in Flagstaff. They appear to go for $1000 and up.)

Third, we had fun and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, so... that was worth it.

October should be easier on the wallet. We are at a Thousand Trails site for the first week of the month, and then we've got plans to take advantage of our Escapees membership. I'm betting we'll come in above the summer totals but well below September's campground expenses.

Friday, September 30, 2016

9 Free (Or Almost Free) Things to Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Susanne is your driver for this post.

Before visiting Albuquerque, my impressions of the city were largely based on a visit my family made when I was in fifth grade (vivid memories of the pool at the Doubletree Hotel and eating french fries at a cafe on Route 66), two weeks of geology labwork at UNM when I was 23 (vivid memories of drilling through rocks, walking through sketchy neighborhoods in the dark, and guzzling coffee at The Village Inn), and Breaking Bad (vivid memories of a scientist driving an RV through the desert... Hmmm...)

My knowledge of the city was limited. 


Now we have a month in Albuquerque under our belts and a strong appreciation for all that the city has to offer. We didn't mean to stay so long. But we enjoyed the weather, the sights, and area activities so much that every time we considered leaving, we realized we weren't ready to go.

As always, we were on a budget - so every outing was carefully selected to take into account our desire to spend little, if any, money. I'm happy to say that for the wallet-conscious traveler, Albuquerque and the surrounding area has plenty to offer. Keeping in mind that this is in no way a comprehensive list of Awesome Stuff To Do in ABQ, here's a rundown of our nine favorite activities (in no particular order):

1. The Paseo del Bosque Trail: The Bosque Trail is a 16-mile multi-use trail that runs north-south along the Rio Grande River. It is paved, though for those who prefer softer substrates, gravel or dirt paths are also available for much of its extent (see photo below for an example). Most of my marathon training while in Albuquerque took place here. Not only is it peaceful and aesthetically pleasing, the numerous other walkers, runners, and bikers making use of the trail on any given day made me feel secure going there alone. Personally, I preferred the more northern extent of the trail - the part closer to the Rio Grande Nature Center. Further south, closer to Rio Bravo Boulevard, trail use seemed more sparse and I wasn't quite as comfortable running solo. 


2. Albuquerque BioPark gardens and BUGarium: The Albuquerque BioPark complex includes an aquarium, a zoo, a train, botanical gardens, a butterfly tent, and a BUGarium (basically, a bug museum). The aquarium, zoo, and train charge admission, but as far as we could tell, the gardens and BUGarium are free of charge. The gardens are lovely: wide green lawns, various hidden gardens, a pond, tall shade trees, and a conservatory. I would have happily returned every single day of our stay in the city.

The BUGarium features an intricate ant exhibit in which ants crawl up a large tree in the middle of the atrium, along lines suspended high above the floor, and then down a wall on the other side of the building. Other highlights include hissing cockroaches, poisonous spiders, mole rats, and other creepy-crawlies indigenous to the area.




3. Sandia Crest: At the top of the most conspicuous mountain in the region, Sandia Crest sits at an elevation of 10,678 feet. To reach it, you have two options. One is to take the Sandia Peak Tramway on the western side of the mountain. We considered doing so, but at $25 per adult and $15 per child, we balked at the price. Instead, we took I-40 east to highway 14, which runs along the eastern side of the mountain, and then followed signs to the summit. Not only was it a lovely drive, it was also mostly free (there's a $3 parking fee once you arrive at the crest). You can see the entire city from here as well as Santa Fe and the mountains to the north and west. 




4. Petroglyph National Monument: The visitor's center for Petroglyph National Monument is situated in the northwestern section of Albuquerque at the corner of Unser Boulevard and Western Trail. We started there to view a few small interpretive exhibits and ask a ranger for directions to the best petroglyph-viewing spot (there are no petroglyphs at the visitor's center itself). He directed us to the Piedras Marcadas Canyon trail, along which at least 300 petroglyphs are featured. The day was hot and the trail was dusty, but the abundance of easy-to-spot petroglyphs made the short hike well worth it. Admission and parking for the visitor's center and the trail were free.




5. Volcanoes Day Use Area: At the western edge of Petroglyph National Monument (and right down the road from our RV park) sit three cinder cones all in a row: JA volcano, Black Volcano, and - the tallest and most volcano-like - Vulcan Volcano. These were produced by relatively small eruptions (similar to modern day fissure eruptions in Iceland) approximately 150,000 years ago. We returned to the volcanoes a couple of times to take advantage of the hiking trails that wend their way around the cones. Although you can't hike to the top of JA or Vulcan, you can get close to the summit of Black Volcano and take in a view of the city and the surrounding lava flows. You'll also enjoy beautiful wildflowers, cacti, and covered rest areas along the route. Parking and hiking at the volcanoes are free.




6. Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument: Kasha-Katuwe is located approximately one hour north of Albuquerque. There, you can view unusual rock formations that look like... wait for it... tents! You can find out how these tents are created here. The park features a couple of hiking trails near the eastern entrance. If you drive approximately 3.5 miles along the park road (part paved, part gravel), you'll eventually find yourself at the Veteran's Memorial Scenic Overlook, which offers sweeping vistas and glimpses of ancient supereruption deposits. Entry is $5 per car... unless you have a fourth grader, in which case entry is totally free during the 2016-2017 school year!




7. Santa Fe: While in Albuquerque, a visit to Santa Fe is a must. It's a little over an hour to the north along I-25. We paid $10 for parking near the town center and then spent a couple of hours walking around, visiting the shops, enjoying the colors and smells, and checking out the plaza. We then took a drive up in to the neighboring southern Sangre de Cristo mountains to Ski Santa Fe, where we enjoyed more breathtaking views. We could have spent several more days here; it just wasn't in the budget (Santa Fe RV parks are expensive in late summer). But even a day trip was well worth our time.




8. Gatos y Galletas Cat Cafe: When I think of cat cafes, I think of Japan... But Albuquerque has its very own cat cafe right in the heart of the city. Initial entry into the cafe leads you to an ordering counter, where you'll need to pay a $3 per person entry fee, sign a waiver, receive a hand stamp, and - optional - purchase some excellent coffee. Then you're ushered through another door into the cat part of the establishment, where you'll need to wash your hands before interacting with the local residents. WiFi here is excellent and seating options are abundant, but good luck getting any work done... The cats are adorable, and they like to play. When we visited, Sam spent the better part of an hour tossing toys to his new feline friends and begging to adopt a buddy for our cat, Biscuit. In fact, the cats are available for adoption, so that's an option, too!




9. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science: If you're into dinosaurs, space, Mars exploration, ancient environments, or the evolution of life on Earth, you'll want to visit this museum. We spent approximately three hours here and, through some outstanding interactive exhibits, learned about the geological history of New Mexico. Entry is relatively inexpensive - $8 per adult, $5 per children - but we were able to get in for free thanks to the ASTC Travel Passport Program (for full-time travelers with kids, we strongly recommend ASTC; almost every city offers free or reduced entry to a local science museum).





For others who have visited or live in/near Albuquerque: what sights, parks, and activities do you recommend?

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Rainy Day Downshifting


This post originally appeared on the PlantBased RunnerGirl blog

Susanne is your driver for this post. 

It’s our fourth day in Flagstaff, and here’s the current view from the bedroom window. 



It's pouring, sometimes so hard that the rain sends pinecones toppling onto our roof. The Weather Channel indicates that it'll be like this on and off for the next 24 hours. 

So we're going to lay low: get our homeschooling assignments done (Sam's got reading, math, and grammar on the docket), read, update the blogs, pay bills slash adult, maybe bake some fall treats in the toaster oven, maybe head over to the camp playground later if we get a break in the weather. Downshifting for a day sounds refreshing to me. We've been on the go lately, and I'm feeling a bit exhausted. On Saturday I ran 16 miles, followed by a family field trip to the top of Sandia Peak in Albuquerque. Sunday was the six-hour journey to Flagstaff. On Monday, we spent the entire day at the Grand Canyon, and yesterday, both Trent and I and our unacclimatized lungs went adventuring on the Fatmans Loop Trail

Seasoned full-time RVers are always trying to warn the newbies: Slow down. You're in absolutely no rush. Don't exhaust yourself. This isn't a monthlong vacation. You have all the time in the world to do all the stuff you want to do. If you don't see everything you want to see at a particular location, you can always come back. If you push yourself too hard, you'll burn out before a year is up. I am not good about following this advice. 

I'm afflicted with what I've diagnosed as Traveler's FOMO: Traveler's Fear Of Missing Out. When I'm in a new place, I have a deep-seated need to see and do it all so that I can really know the place I'm in. It's a well-meaning obsessiveness. But I remind myself that's just mental self-trickery. Nobody is grading us on How Many Things We Checked Off Our List While Living In Our RV. Nobody is docking points for staying in. 

A rest day it is, then. Biscuit, for one, seems fine with this plan:


Sunday, September 25, 2016

American RV Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Trent will be your driver for this post.
It is easy to get to the park from I-40. We saw some huge rigs get in and out without a problem.
We stayed at the American RV Park for three weeks in September, 2016. Our original plan was to stay for a week. It turned into two weeks after a few hours in the park and turned into three weeks when we realized toward the end of the second week that we were not ready to leave the RV park or Albuquerque.

The Verizon signal was strong here without using an extra antenna or booster. I forgot to determine a download speed average but it was plenty fast enough for the video files I send and receive for work and for watching Netflix.

Bedroom window view
Spot 49
"Heated" pool
Two features Sam and I really like about this park are the "free" breakfast and the pool.

The breakfast (8-10 a.m.) was not gluten-free or vegan friendly (but also that was not expected) so Susanne was out of luck. However, they had bagels, toast, hard boiled eggs (some days), yogurt (most days), two types of cereal, cow milk, mini-donuts (some days), small pastries, OJ, teas, and Folgers coffee.  Sam and I went almost every day.

The pool was great. The pool went what seemed like about two weeks without being vacuumed but was otherwise filtered and clean. They did vacuum or sweep the bottom in the days before we left - probably in a push to get ready for a wave of arrivals coming in for the Balloon Fiesta. There was "warm" water that flowed into the pool from four vents. The pool water was always warmer than you would expect based on the air temperature but never warm. Most days it felt perfect. There was a hot tub in a separate building but since those under 14 were not allowed in it, we didn't use it.

Breakfast

We were able to get level at our site without much trouble using blocks and it seemed like most sites were flat or close enough.  The water pressure and water taste were both good. The electrical (30 amp) hook up was good.  We did lose our power briefly on some mornings seemingly around the same time when our surge protector cut off power and indicating a high frequency error. After the built in delay on our system, the power came back on the rest of the day and worked just fine. I didn't talk to anyone about this so I don't know if it was a widespread problem or just a problem at our electrical post.  The sewer hook up worked as expected.

The park has two different laundry facilities. We only used the one at the office but looked in the other one and that site had the same type of machines and looked good. 

Laundry at the park office.

Working change machine and change given in the office!
There were bathrooms and showers available in the park. We didn't use the showers but checked them out and they were very clean. All the bathrooms I used were also clean and in great shape.

Dump station.

Another type of dump station in the park.


They have a park wide WiFi system and it worked sometimes. I would not suggest relying on it if you need the internet for work. I often could not connect when trying to test the system. When I was able to connect I got anywhere from the low single digits to almost 40 Mbps. There system would probably be fine if you just needed it to check non-work related email and surf the web with the knowledge that you might not be able to connect when you want.

The park offers cable but we didn't ask about it so we can't comment on it. However, our TV antenna was able to pick up a couple of the major networks and a bunch of local type stations. We didn't watch much broadcast TV so I don't know how stable those signals were.

Random shot in the park
Coyotes ran by the back of the park each evening.


The park also has a gift shop and a decent amount of RV supplies for sale.  Bottom line for this park is we would absolutely stay here again if visiting the Albuquerque area. Since there are so many things to see and do in the area, I know we will be back.



Friday, September 23, 2016

Nomadic Field Trip: Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

Last Saturday, we packed into the car and drove about an hour north of Albuquerque to the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument. We were there to see, well, rocks that look like tents.



Tent Rocks is located just west of Santa Fe, NM. Getting there was easy, but we failed to look at the price of entry before we arrived. We had no cash on hand, nor had we printed out our Every Kid in a Park pass (which grants free national park entry to every fourth grader and their family... Thanks, Sam!), so we had to take a little detour to find a gas station with an ATM.


Our original intent was to do some hiking so that we could get a close look at the rock formations. Hiking trails at Tent Rocks are somewhat limited in extent: as you can see on the official map, the primary options are the Cave Loop Trail and the Slot Canyon Trail. By the time we arrived, the trailhead parking lot was crowded, the sun was blazing in a clear blue sky, only one of us had thought to bring a hat (no, we're not disorganized at all!), and... we decided we weren't up for a walk. I know. We're weenies. But it just wasn't happening that day.

Instead, we drove past the trailhead onto a winding gravel road and followed it for 3.5 miles uphill before arriving at the Veteran's Memorial Scenic Overlook, which is where we spent most of our time. 

The parking area is surrounded by well-appointed covered picnic tables. We staked one out, had a snack, and admired the view.


Then we headed for the overlook, where we took about 100 pictures and learned more about the rock formations. 


Don't be fooled by the unassuming nature of these flat-lying white, brown, and tan layers: they're actually the deposits of massive volcanic eruptions that occurred only a few million years ago. Some of the layers are made of ash that rained down like rocky snow during and after the eruptions, whereas others are the products of hot, treacherous pyroclastic flows that obliterated everything in their paths.



The brownish-orange top layer in the photo above is the Bandelier Tuff. The Bandelier Tuff is a pyroclastic flow deposit that formed when the nearby Valles Caldera erupted about 1.1 million years ago.


As for the tent structures (you can find a better picture here), they form when boulder-sized blocks protect the underlying volcanic layers from getting eroded. In other words, the material beneath the boulders is shielded from the erosive power of water. When the boulders fall off or disintegrate, the underlying volcanic deposits are exposed and eventually wear down.

Sam was interested in the plant life at the monument. A quick walk near the scenic overlook revealed all sorts of colorful, spiky flora:






Here he's saying, "What's this plant, mom?" and I'm like, "Ummmm... Oh hey! Did you see those rocks over there?"

We highly recommend a visit to this national monument if you're in the area. It's inexpensive, it's accessible, and it offers some great learning opportunities. If you can't manage an in-person visit, check out some of the resources below.

Related resources: