Book Review

Book Review - The Garden of Eden. Finished Hemingway's "The Garden of Eden". Although I've enjoyed several of Hemingway's more popular novels, I don't recall reading this one; it is  amazingly contemporary for a book he began to write in 1946.  About a writer and his bride on honeymoon in the Mediterranean. She is jealous of his writing and brings another women into their relationship - fascinating!

Somehow I ended up with a first edition; I used to collect old books but have donated most to save on space. Will probably sell/trade in at a good bookstore during my journey. Speaking of which, can't wait to visit Coas Bookstore in Las Cruces; last time I was in town they weren't open.

Reflections.
Towing the AS over 1400 miles in 12 days, including camping at a variety of sites (RV Parks, State Parks, Walmart, Rest Areas), instills a sense of confidence I lacked a short time ago. Repeatedly hitching up the AS, unhitching, connecting and disconnecting utilities, and performing a multitude of tasks associated with arriving at and departing from campsites is a great way to learn about the AS. While far from an expert, I've gradually learned what is essential (and donated the rest) and where these essential items should be stored (in truck or in AS? where in AS?). Initially, I found myself frequently lugging stuff between the truck and AS or worse - not being able to find things; however, slowly but surely, a system is developing that seems to work.

Things will get even better after the water heater and inverter are fixed (4/14!). Plan to spend the night of 4/13 in Albuquerque close to the AS dealer so they have all day 4/14 to fix things; however, its possible they may need two days to obtain parts/fix so I'm ready for this (no choice but to go with the flow). After 4/14 I'll head south again and plan to stay longer (rather than just overnight) at each campsite.  Moving the AS from one site to another is fairly simple (I can hitch up, disconnect, pickup and be on my way to another site in less than an hour from start to finish), staying in one spot for multiple days means less time moving and more time exploring.

Sometimes (like last night when I went to bed) I find myself blissing out about what I'm doing. Come and go as I please, where and when I want - is this really legal? My life was so very regimented for so long; I feel so fortunate to do what I'm doing and am loving life:)

Caballo Lake State Park. Moved to Caballo Lake State Park today; about an hour north of Las Cruces. Nice campground. I'm staying by the Rio Grande river but there is another campground by the lake. The weather is great (70s) and this park is one of the nicer NM State Parks; the bathrooms are relatively new. NM State Parks are a great deal relative to other states like Colorado. With an annual pass, the price is only $4/night for an RV site including electric and water. States like Colorado charge are more expensive and charge extra for dumping; admittedly, Colorado State Parks and facilities are generally a bit nicer overall than NM's so maybe the price differential makes sense.

Las Cruces Farmer's Market. The FM in Las Cruces is impressive; stretches for several city blocks and includes everything from locally grown herbs and produce, to fresh eggs, artisan breads, honey, art, and crafts. Every Saturday and Wednesday mornings downtown. I love farmer's markets and this one is worth visiting; purchased some 7 grain sourdough bread and locally grown fresh kale, sprouts, tomatoes, and honey. Unfortunately, I devoured the bread before thinking to take a photo. Made me long for my bread baking days but since I'm still getting used to the AS, traveling, etc., it will be awhile before I try my hand at outdoor bread baking. However, one of the things about living in the AS is the pleasure of making meals and eating outside. No matter where I am, I can just pull over and make a meal when my stomach tells me its time to eat:)

Three Rivers Petroglyph. Visited the BLM's Three Rivers Petroglyph north of Tularosa, NM.  Amazing number of carved images in a relatively small area.

White Sands. Stopped by White Sands Missile Range and White Sands National Monument. The missile range is big on security so decided to avoid the hassle to visit their museum and instead drive down the road to the Monument. Beautiful white sand everywhere although I was surprised how small the dunes are compared to the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado's San Luis Valley. The clouds made for interesting photographs.

Taking it easy today in Las Cruces; getting things ready for the trip north tomorrow. After donating yet more stuff to Goodwill and fueling the beast (i.e., Truck) yet again, I returned to camp to finish reading "A Maggot" by John Fowles. Don't recall reading this book while in school although it probably wouldn't have resonated then.  Maybe its from donating so much stuff over the past month as part of downsizing to a simpler life, but this line from the last page of the novel struck me - "When excess becomes synonymous with success, society is doomed..."