Caverns of Sonora - Sonora Texas

 

050626 I have never heard of Sonora before, let alone the caves. I discovered this place while looking for an overnight spot between El Paso and San Antonio. Turns out that this place is a working ranch and has a living cave on the property. Officially discovered in 1955, the cave was developed and protected, then opened for tours in 1960. When I pulled in, there was only one other RV. I was greeted by Peacock calls and Turkeys on the green making their way across the campground.

I was assigned a space with 30 amp hookup and water for only $20 dollars and was informed they had a tour scheduled in an hour. So I backed into my spot, got set up and went to meet the tour.

Our tour guide Elija covered the safety details of the tour that would take us almost 2 miles, 360 stair steps down 155’ into a living cave. Off we went, a young couple from Houston and myself down onto the cave. Elija was very knowledgeable. Soon we were learning about all the different speleothem forms; Stalactite, Stalagmite, Columns, Drapery, Helictites and flowstone. Half way
down the low ceiling path opened up into a vast underground room. We were cautioned not to touch the cave walls or any speleothem, even though we were only inches away, because the oils on our fingers would destroy the formations. I never thought of a cavern being live, but it is a slow moving natural act of growing and changing.

After the big room, we continued our descent  at a slow pace. There were lights installed in sections, Elija turned them on and off as we went. We entered an area with underground pools of blue water and in one section Elija used a black light to show how some of the speleothem glowed in the dark, it was beautiful and photographs just do not show how amazing it is.

When we reached the last room, we agreed to turn off the lights and take our rest in complete absolute darkness. It was amazing how dark it was. I could not see my hand in front of my face. It was quiet too, just small cave noises.

After we were all rested we started our ascent to the surface, I assumed we would just retrace our steps, but we took a totally different way up, saw more of the cave and it seemed to me there were not as many steps going up.

We emerged about 200 yards from where we went in, right next to the gift shop. Imagine that! I bought a shot glass, post cards and of course stickers. Oh and some home made fudge.

I got all the questions for the Earth Cache from Elija and posted my find. After I ate dinner, I stepped out to take a walk and saw the wild turkeys again showing off their feathers and I could hear the peacock over by the gift shop squawking “fuuuuudge, more fuuuudge.”

I left at 1000 on the dot and used the dump station at the rest stop off I-10 in Sonora, then headed east towards San Antonio.

Here is a link to my Photo Album. 

El Paso Chihuahuas Baseball - Southwest University Park, El Paso TX

 

Southwest University Stadium - El Paso, TX

050526 - Cinco de Mayo! The Chihuahuas website suggests a parking garage, but I am about a foot to tall. Using Google Maps navigated to public parking out doors The entrance had a 8 foot max height. While navigating to another, I found street parking only 2 blocks from the stadium, I paid $10 for the rest of the day.

Chico

Southwest University Stadium is a downtown ballpark that holds a grass roots feeling and packed with Chihuahua fateful. The game against the Tacoma Rainers, the Seattle Mariners Triple A team. Both teams scored in the first inning, but the Chihuahuas broke it open and by the seventh inning they had a 9-4 lead.

Tacoma came out fighting in the eighth and tied it up. El Paso kept Tacoma off the board it in the ninth and tenth. Then with the automatic runner at second, Nate Mondou was call off the bench and came through with a pitch hit to right to walked it off 10-9. It was a very entertaining game and even better with a home team win.

Equipped with a T-shirt, ball cap and a bottle sticker, I returned to Vannie before 10pm. I got on the I-10 and drove 2 hours to a rest stop and stayed the night. In the morning I’ll have a short 3 hour drive to Caverns of Sonora Campground.  

Note: The El Paso Chihuahuas have two primary alternate identities: El Paso Matachines El Paso Bootmakers.

Score board

Off on another Adventure - Alabama and back 2026

After a short week at the Desert Habitat it is time for another adventure. I have split this trip into 2 parts. Part one I will venture southeast through Texas, attending triple A and double A baseball games, the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, golfing and some quality time with my Texas friends. Continuing east through the bayou of Louisiana all the way to Florida, ending up with some driveway camping in Pell City Alabama. Part two includes U.S. Forest Service campgrounds in North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky. I hope to visit civil war battle grounds and exciting caverns and national monuments. This part ends up at the Rocky Mountain Star Stare (RMSS) in Colorado before returning to my desert habitat. 

I got underway on May 3rd, but instead of taking the I-10 spending six hours next to speeding 18 wheelers I took the much less traveled route through Globe/Miami and into New Mexico for an overnight at Ventran’s Park, Lordsburg NM. This is the second time that I had stayed here when starting a trip towards the east. The Park was established to commemorate those who served our country, alongside figures involved in policing, firefighting, and local copper mining. Free camping, little amenities, a perfect place for a quick overnight.  Unfortunately, the spot that I used, there was some trash left, sad that the people can’t pick up after themselves and use the dumpster provided. To my surprise, this time there was water and you can see improvement in progress. There were four other campers overnighting. It was nearly dark by the time I got settled. In the morning I took a walk around the area with my pickup stick and a plastic bag. That done, I filled up at the Circle K and  headed towards Texas.

050426 Franklin Mountains State Park Primitive Campground is primarily a day use area, but there is overnight camping. Most of the sites are for tents but I stayed in one of the 6 RV dry camping sites. Before settling up I hit the trail to find a letterbox cache near the park entrance. Nice that Texas State Parks allow geocaching. The temperature were in the 90s so I thought I would  test out my 12 volt AC running it on full with all the doors closed. Kept the van in the 70s while using minimal battery power. The solar input seemed to be enough to keep it running. I used my Starlink to get online so I could watch or listen to the Padres game and enjoy the evening. In the morning I took a nice little hike up to the top to see some of the views and then get ready to check out at noon.When I left I headed over to The Love's truckstop to dump my gray tank and take a shower before heading downtown El Paso to find a place to park during the game. I have tickets to the El Paso Chihuahuas vs the Tacoma Rainers, first pitch 1805. 

📹 Veteran's Park 

📹 Franklin Mountain 

Washoe Lake and Gemfield Road Nevada.

 

Washoe Lake 

042326 - 042426 The drive from Oregon,  through Shasta to Carson City took a little over 6 hours. I arrived at Washoe Lake State Park Campground with plenty of time to get settled  and take a walk before the sun went down. You could tell it had been raining and there were still some angry looking clouds over Mt. Rose to the west. Made for a  beautiful background for camping.  The air was crisp but the forecast said sunny 🌞, so after a nice walk and two geocaches, I decided that I would stay an extra night. 

 

Feral Horses in the camp

In the morning while I was making my breakfast a herd of horses visited the campground. They grazed their way right through my site. I was thinking that someone left the gate open, but no, turns out this is an open range and they are a wild Mustangs. A local I talked to on the beach said "they are more farel than wild." They don't mind being around you but they do not like to be approached,  

According to Gemini Ai, The Virginia Range: This 40-mile mountainous area stretches between Carson City and Reno. You can frequently spot them along the trails on the east side of Carson City, near Industrial Way, or occasionally wandering into historic spots like Virginia City.  Here is an interesting article about the BLM roundup program and local advocacy efforts to protect and preserve the wild herds.  

Gemfield Road Dispersed Camping

It was really nice to skip a day of driving and relax. Saturday I took off late morning and found a Krogers in Carson City then I headed south. Roughly 5 hours later I arrived at Gemfield Road Dispersed camping just north of Goldfield NV.  I drove in about 2 mile and found a empty site great view of the valley and surrounded by Joshua Trees. I even saw more wild mustangs.  Gemfield road continues on to Gemfield Nevada Chalcedony, renowned for harboring what is believed to be the largest deposit of gemstone-quality chalcedony in the continental US.  At almost 6000' elevation, this was a really nice boondocking spot, off the beaten path enough for privacy and not far from civilization.  Other than the wind rocking the van on occasion, I had a really nice stay and a good one to end my trip to Victoria and back.  The next day, I drove the whole 7 1/2 hours to my desert habitat.  Links to Washoe Lake and Gemfield Road shares albums.  Thanks for visiting

Raining - Fort Stevens Campground - Astoria and Oak Slope Campground - Emigrant Lake, Ashland Oregon.

 42126 - 42236  As I continued down the coast into Oregon the rain continued. I pulled into my reserved space at Fort Stevens the only break from the rain was being under the trees. No cell service.  I was really hoping to explore the area but I was not motivated to go hiking or biking in the rain.

FSSP

So instead of setting up I drove to the day used lot and connected startlink and looked at the forecast. I stayed there and made dinner and listened to the Padres game. After the game I went back to my space and hit the rack. I was out of there early and instead of continuing down the rainy coast I headed towards Salem and the I-5.

Oak Slope

Pulled into Oak Slope Campground about 1600 in the rain, but it was letting up. It got down to 38° at 2300 and the rain had stopped. Again, I headed out early because I wanted to make Carson City before sunset.

I need to stop for a couple days, but I just don't want to do it in the rain. Looking forward to Nevada and doing some geocaching.

Bear Creek Campground - Port Angeles WA

 

4142026  The ferry ride back to the USA went smooth. It was a beautiful day to sail across the Straits of Juan de Fuca.Great views of the Olympics and warm temperatures. I spent most of my time out in the sunshine walking the main deck.Upon arrival, the line through U.S. Customs took about 15 minutes, but they had me pull over because they wanted to inspect my apples and oranges. So I waited in the drivers seat and didn't make any sudden moves. A long time later, the guard came up and said they only want me to put my fruit on the table, I thought they were going to search my van. So I just gave hime 2 oranges and 2 apples. Then I was free to go.

After a stop at Safeway to stock up groceries, I headed west towards Forks and found a nice quiet

campground, Bear Creek Campground just before the 101 goes south. 16 campsites located along the Sol Duc River.  The sites are free as long as you have a Washington Discover Pass.  The rain returned shortly after I arrived, but it let up enough to go out and explore down by the river. This campground was the logging site during WWI that provided the wood for the railroad. I noticed a lot of moss on the tree limbs.

On my way out the next day I stopped at the Forks visitor area, famous for have the most rain. I continued down the 101 passed Kalaloch Lodge and South Beach, which was closed. Stopped along the way for some geocaching but It rained pretty much all the way to Oregon where I pulled into Fort Stevens campground.   Here is a link to the photos I took. 

Family Cottage - Victoria BC, CA

IMO Mum & Jim

 

4142026 - 4192026 We made the Blackball Coho ferry in plenty of time and the crossing went by quickly. We drove out to the University of Victoria and parked. We could not go to the Airbnb until after 3 so we walked and lunched until it was time. 

Designated Area

After checking in and a quick dinner, we went out to a Old Time jam and played for about 2 hours. This was my first time at a jam inside with both cochlear implants with the music program on. It was a little discouraging with all the filters off but I think I could hear better because there was less background noise. But I still have difficulty following a conversation in a group. I always miss the tune that is called. I suppose it might get better the more I am around it, but my playing is still uninspiring. 

We fell into somewhat of a routine, breakfast, walking, lunch, lounging at the Family Cottage, dinner, TV then bed. Here are the places we walked: 

• Tuesday 41426 University of Victoria 

• Wednesday 41526 Main Beach-Thetis Lake

• Thursday 41626 Beacon Hill lookout- Todd and I did a WhereIgo maze geocache. 

• Friday 41726 Saxe Point Park

• Saturday 41826 Mt. Douglas Park This is where I fell and injured my leg. 

• Sunday 41926 Uplands Park and Dallas Road 48.407436, -123.346736
  

Gus of the beach

While walking on Saturday, I was sort of bushwhacking away from the group and took a tumble. I tried to break my fall and sprang my left thigh muscle and stopped my fall with my right knee on a rock. I hobbled to the nearest trail access and Todd, Kate and Gus went back to and got the car. They dropped me off at the Airbnb and I iced it. Later it was getting around good enough to go to dinner and attempt a night cache. 

Dallas Rd Tidelines

    The next day, Sunday, we went to the beach area in front of Mom and Jim’s apartment “Tidelines”. Todd had worked this out, we dug a small hole below the high tide line, poured out their ashes. Decorated with drift wood and daisies and remembered their stories over a bottle of wine. It was very nicely done and made a nice memory.  After walking and dinner we went back to make sure the high tide had washed it away.

    In the morning, I caught the ferry back to Port Angeles and started my trip back to the habitat in the desert.

Photos album of Victoria.

Sun City to Victoria BC

 

Wheelers Pass Road Dispersed Camping - Pahrump Nevada 

Look west Pahrump NV

4082026 GPS: 36.2152, -115.9586 I got a good start out of the desert habitat and the 5 1/2 hours drive to Pahrump Nevada went by quick. Pahrump, Nevada, is famous as a rural, fast-growing getaway an hour west of Las Vegas, known for its proximity to Death Valley National Park, wineries, and motorsports.

    There were plenty of spots to park. The gravel road was rough but I found an empty spot and pointed the Van north and set up. There was snow still on the mountain peak to the west, A good place for an overnight.

    I headed north after breakfast, next stop Sportsman Beach on Walker lake, about 4 hours NW.

Pahrump photos

Sportsman Beach BLM Campground - Walker Lake, NV

Walker Lake - Mt. Grant

4092026 GPS: 38.6914, -118.7716  The drive from Pahrump was uneventful and went by quickly. The camping area was a pleasant surprise. Nestled in the shadow of Mt. Grant the views were splendid.  I got a space right on the lake right next to one of the geocaches in the park. The cost was only $6 and there was plenty of spaces to pick from. I walked to the pay station and then strolled down by the bank of the lake. The water was low and it looked very mossy. It appears the area has suffered from severe ecological decline, with high salt levels leading to the collapse of its fishery.

There are boat ramps, but I didn’t see any boats in the lake, and no one was fishing. According to the Nevada Department of Wildlife conservation efforts are ongoing to restore the lake's water levels, which have declined significantly over the past century due to agricultural diversions from the Walker River. Around this campground they have posted signs showing what the water level was in past years. So today it is a nice place for a overnight, but there used to be much more going on here.

Sportsman BLM Campground

I really enjoyed my stay, finding the few geocaches and visiting with other campers and their pets. I packed up early in the morning thinking that maybe I should stay another day, but there were dark clouds coming over the mountain so I hit the road heading towards Reno and into California. Not sure where I'm parking next, I have my eye on a couple rest stops but it looks like all the campgrounds are still closed in the Shasta mountain area. There is a parking area right on the CA/OR state line that might serve, weill see.

Sportsman's Beach Photos

Oak Slope Campground - Emigrant Lake, Ashland OR

4102026 42.158309, -122.619725 Well shortly out of Reno entering California it began to rain and would rain all day. I  drove through the Lassen National Forest from Susanville, past Mt. Shasta, although I did not see Mt. Shasta because it was raining, stopped for gas in Weed before crossing into Oregon.

Oak Slope Campground

I found the parking area at the first exit but it was just a muddy turnout on Highway 99 with road construction. So I got back on the 5 and after 8 hours of driving stopped at the Oregon State Welcome Center Rest Area I could rest here for 12 hours, I was the only one there, plenty of spots to park. I don't know why, but I just didn't feel right.

So I drove into Ashland and found a nice paved camp spot on the hillside north of Emigrant Lake in Oak Slope Campground. I didn't have any cash so I wrote and check and hunkered down in the van and let it rain.

In the morning the sun was out and the park was very nice. I went for a walk and took my time, again thinking it would be nice to spend another day, but there was more rain coming and I have a reservation at my next stop on the Umpqua River less than a 3 hour drive north.

I was able to dump my grey tank, fill up on water and I even got a nice shower. It was raining again by the time I left. I bet this place is nice when it is not rainy, maybe I will find out someday.

Oak Slope photos

Tyee Campground, Umpqua River - Roseburg OR

Tyee Campground

4112026 43.484506, -123.483565 I had high hopes for this campground. I originally booked 2 days, I changed it to 1 after the refrigerator repair. Surrounded by tall trees right on the banks of the Umpqua river, only one of two rivers in Oregon with headwaters that begin high up in the Cascade Mountains and meanders on down to the Pacific Ocean. I stay at Umpqua Lighthouse State Park on my way back from Thanksgiving last year.

This is a small campground and must be well used by locals during the summer. But in April, there was plenty of room, only a few other campers. Not sure what is going on in space 10 which looks like an abandoned yard sale. I only saw 2 other people and they were the camp host making their rounds.

stairway to Umpqua river

Tired of waiting for the rain to stop, I donned what rain gear I walked down to the river and up and down the stairs to the river. I walked the entire park which only took a half hour.

There was no cell signal and Starlink connection was weak and unreliable, but good enough to listen to baseball. So I pretty much spent my time inside the van staying dry. I cooked up a can of soup and enjoyed the game.

It rained all night and the tall trees dropped water on the van roof. Of course I was not bothered and by the morning the rain stopped for about 15 minutes, but I didn't notice. I slept until well after sunrise, but I didn't notice.

Tyee campground photos

Glenwood Dr. Vanway - Olympia, WA

Glennwood Dr. Vanway

4122026 - 4132026  Safely parked at Todd & Kate's, thus ending the first phase of this trip where we will spend a week in an Airbnb. Once settled we enjoyed a salad and delicious sausage rolls.

The next day was all about getting ready for the trip to Victoria. I decided to go ahead and take the Van, mostly because I will have all my stuff with me. Also I will not be taking up space in the car so it can be packed for a week in a Airbnb. I also want to be able to say I took my Van on the Coho Ferry.

In the morning we got ready for a busy day. I was able to get my COVID 19 booster shot at Walgreens and then we went on a nice walk/geocaching at the Grass Lake Nature Trail. After our walk, we gathered up the string instruments and had a quick Jam at a friends in Olympia.

Then it was back to Glenwood to make final preparations for a 0430 departure to get to the ferry on time.

Grass Lake Nature Trail.