Cake is the best way to celebrate your special day.

Darrel used the cherries from our tree to create this amazing birthday cake.


Thank you Darrel for making such an amazing cake from scratch. Darrel has adjusted to baking in motorhome convention/microwave oven. When Darrel bakes, the goodness of the oven wafts down the campground and I am surprised we don't have people showing up for his baked treats. When we were in Florida, we did get to know our neighbours well and we did share! They all were so impressed that Darrel bakes in a motorhome.

My 52nd birthday was celebrated with Darrel and Cody as we drove from Texas to New Mexico. I am so happy to have had this opportunity to share this journey with Darrel and Cody, I love you both so much. Here is to many more years! Thank you also to all my family and friends for their birthday wishes via email, text and FaceBook. It means a lot to me!

It feels like home.

Amazing rock formation, reminds me of the rocks on the way to Las Vegas.

A nice change from plain desert.

So unique.

Amazing views and vistas in Arizona.


Arrived at the KOA and Cody is happy to meet new people.

A nice outdoor fireplace and sitting area while you wait to check in.

The campground offers spots that are covered with solar panels. This helps reduce sun exposure on your coach, and also reduces the heat from the sun. A great way to use less A/C.

The campground has lemon, orange and grapefruit trees. You can pick yourself or stop by the frond desk and there is fresh fruit for the taking. Makes great lemonade.

Some unique spots that have an outdoor TV and roof top patio.

Pet wash station, however Cody has a spa day booked.

Reminds me of Harry Potter and the platform at Kings Cross in London. https://www.kingscross.co.uk/harry-potters-platform-9-34


A lemon tree outside our bedroom window.

Week 1 of our stay - Schedule of Fun.

Week 2 of our stay - Schedule of Fun.

Week 3 of our stay - Schedule of Fun.

Week 4 of our stay - Schedule of Fun.

Week 5 of our stay - Schedule of Fun.

Our last sunset in Tucson, boy this view never gets old.

Tucson / Lazydays KOA Resort:

https://koa.com/campgrounds/tucson-lazydays/

• Campsite #1459 - $70.00 a night (before KOA discount and points redemption)
• Onsite restaurant, bar, pools, dog park, activities and entertainment. There is lots to do here.

This KOA appears to be owned by the Lazydays RV retailer. They have invested a lot of money into the property and there is lots to see and do. The pool is heated very warm along with the hot tub (since it is winter, it is nice). The office sends out text messages as events are happing, so you are kept ini the loop. I love the fact that it is mimosa hour now and I can have a muffin and mimosa! The BBQ Run restaurant onsite is pretty good and the drinks are cheap, I guess that is normal in the United States (Canadians pay way too much for a drink at dinner). We have only been here for a few days, but I can see why people like to spend the entire season here. The weather has been cool and not great, but next week we will return to seasonable temperatures (warm at 21 deg C / 72 deg F).

Tags: AZ

New Mexico stretch of highway with strong winds and alarming warning signs. Often there is zero visibility - the signs literally say "ZERO VISIBILITY AREA".

Pull off roadway.

Turn off vehicle.

Foot off breaks.

Stay Buckled.

… and what is missing is that you pray you don't get hit by another driver. We did experience very high winds and had to slow down, thank goodness we did not get the dust with the wind. After we passed this stretch of highway, I looked back in the rearview mirror and the dust store was just starting up. I assume it occurs frequently. Yikes.

Massive spot to park our coach.

Look - twins!

Hot tub.

Sunset over New Mexico.

Walking Cody before bedtime.

The grassy spot we found.

The dog run, feels like the border wall.

Beautiful sunrise, and a nice way to start your day.

Good Morning, getting ready to leave. The Jeep remained hooked up, we just reconnect power and check the connections to ensure no one tampered with them. Safety first!

Hacienda RV Resort:

https://www.haciendarv.com

• Campsite #176 - $65.00 a night (with Goodsam discount).
• Onsite hot tub (no pool).

Paved roads but campsite is gravel, though pretty level. There is a walled in dog park, reminiscent of Trumps wall. We did not walk Cody down in the dog run area as it is kind of creepy and there was a few grassy dog stops we found. We did not unhook the Jeep so we basically just stayed the night and off we went. The campground is nice and the people were very friendly and love dogs. The hot tub looked inviting but we did not havre time to enjoy it. The compound provides you keycards to access the amenities, just don't forget to return them when you leave!

Tags: NM

Across the road is Mexico.

And more of Mexico.

On the left, Mexico.

Literally on the left side of the overpass is Mexico. The border is right there in El Paso.

Traffic in El Paso is crazy, and Mexico is on the left side of the road. So close.

Beautiful desert west of El Paso. Great view of Mexico.

As the road is so close to Mexico, all traffic is diverted off the highway and into an immigration checkpoint.

Approaching the immigration checkpoint.


It is easy to see in the photos how people can cross the border from Mexico into the United States. The desert temperatures were very cold and if anyone did try to cross, they would be freezing at night or in the early morning. We did see white government trucks driving along the road checking for / pickup people who crossed into the Unite States (I assumed - why else would they be there in the middle of nowhere). We passed through two checkpoints, one in Texas and one in New Mexico.

Unique landscape from the rest of Texas.

A windy road, finally, it's been like drive to Saskatchewan.

Stopped for a break, how can you not take a picture!


Spot #50 - pull through.

Texas pride! Check in and Roadrunner Cafe.

Checkin out all the other license plates. Some from BC.

Appropriate decor for Texas.

The campgrounds are creatively decorated with the Texas spirit.

Sunsetting - good night Texas!

Fort Stockton RV Park:

https://fortstocktonrvpark.com

• Campsite #50 - $45 a night (with Goodsam discount)
• Onsite restaurant, dog park and pool

Close to highway and offers easy access to getting back on the road. This RV park is conveniently located between San Antonio and Las Cruces, giving us a nice 4 hour travel day. The staff at the Roadrunner Cafe were awesome and the food was all home made. I stopped back in at 7:30 PM to buy some of the biscuits they make for the road the next day. If you stay here, try the biscuits, yum!

Tags: TX