Water has been a theme of our last few days. In typical newbie fashion, we purchased the RV in a winterized state, which meant the water system wasn’t up and running. We had to wait to escape the Wisconsin winter before testing it out. Also, many campgrounds have shut off their water for the winter, so we had to plan for the perfect time and location to sanitize our tanks with bleach solution before filling them up with fresh water. We also had to purchase the right hoses and sewer attachments to start using water in the RV. And of course we did this all with baited breath, assuming something would be terribly wrong with the water system as with every other system in the RV. After sanitizing the tanks, we had our first dump station experience. Yep, that means the RV takes a dump. Things didn’t smell as bad as we thought they would, and everything worked smoothly. We drove away from that experience with a sense of accomplishment – now we could finally try for a hot shower!

Short hike from this point on the Rio Grande to Black Rock Hot Springs

Our fun excursion that afternoon was to Black Rock Hot Springs, a natural hot spring right on the banks of the Rio Grande. We drove down a long dirt road (where we saw a mountain lion cross the road in front of us in broad daylight – yikes!) and hiked a short distance to the small pools adjacent to the river. We soaked for a bit and enjoyed the hot water and peaceful serenity of our surroundings. It was time to go when a kid started flying a drone around and a couple showed up and took advantage of the “clothing optional” thing they do here occasionally.

Dirt bike adventures on the Rio Grande

Carne adovada, a local favorite

We camped the next two nights right next to the Rio Grande outside of Pilar, NM. We noticed some moisture on our bathroom floor next to the toilet that evening, and it didn’t smell good. Things worsened in that department over the next two days, so we knew we needed to do something. You might be surprised that it took us a few days to act, but we were having too much fun visiting an awesome winery with friendly and informative locals, chowing down on beef jerky and carne adovada (pork in a very spicy red sauce), experimenting with our microwave/convection oven, and riding our dirt bikes up steep mountain roads to see areas like Tres Orejas. (Google “Tres Orejas Taos” for interesting reading.)

Cliff dwellings in Frijoles Canyon

Look carefully, and you can see some ladders we climbed

We also made a detour to Bandelier National Monument to see the cliff dwelling in Frijoles Canyon. We don’t always have the patience to read signs and informative literature you find at points of interest, but when the ranger made a sarcastic comment to someone else about needing the guide unless you have an advanced degree in Southwestern Native American archaeology, we decided to read the whole brochure. And we learned so much about the people that had inhabited the canyon many centuries before, carving their warren-like dwellings into the porous pink cliffs.

The genius caulking the roof to keep us waterproof

By then we had had enough fun to justify fixing our now very smelly toilet situation, and we found a small family-run RV shop in Santa Fe to do the job. It turns out our toilet had been “installed” without a seal. You can think for yourself about how the lack of a toilet seal might become an issue. Having fixed the source of the powerful odors, we now had to clean the carpet. That was an adventure in its own right with a Walmart Rug Doctor rental. Our lodging plans for that night failed when the campground was completely full, so we had to drive back down the mountains to Santa Fe and clean our carpets in the Walmart parking lot with our generator. In case you were wondering, the generator does really weird things when you have several things charging while you are trying to use a Rug Doctor. Add to the day some minor brake problems, smelly power steering fluid, dead cell phones, no internet access, and you get a whole lot of fun. After a marathon day of dealing with issues, we made our way to Cochiti Lake Recreation Area and happily ate macaroni and cheese from a box at 10pm.

We needed a break from all the high-energy fun we’ve been having, so we decided to stay here for a few days. We are the ghetto rig in this full hook-up RV loop. It’s been great to have unlimited water and electricity, decent cell service, and no agenda for a few days.

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks

Star Wars?

Hard to understand how the trees get nourishment here!

Slot canyons narrow enough for short legs

Nic planned a fun daytrip for us yesterday to Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, where we hiked several miles around strange rock formations formed by the erosion of volcanic ash and rock. The route took us through a very narrow slot canyon, and we climbed our way to an overlook of the otherworldly scenery. It reminded us of Star Wars and Morocco, and it was one of the most unique places we’ve been.

By now we are feeling just about rested and ready for our next adventure!