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My amazing granddaughter let me know that she would be at the Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque and would like to come for a visit in Santa Fe before flying back to Los Angeles. What a joy to spend time with her! I picked her up at her Airbnb and we decided to stop by the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center for the round dance and then grab a bite to eat before heading back to Santa Fe.

Instead of her flying, we decided to take a camping road trip back to Los Angeles by way of scenic back roads. This would be the vans first “maiden voyage” so to speak, and how fun to make the jaunt with my granddaughter and of course my pup! We prepared for the trip and left the following day, first we headed through the beautiful El Malpais National Monument for Zuni through Ramah. I wanted to show her the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary which happened to be closed, but fortunately a very nice man working that day took us for a tour! The wolves seemed as interested in us as we were in them, they did a chorus of howling several times while visiting. Just amazing! wildspiritwolfsanctuary.org

Next stop was Zuni Pueblo and the BEST burgers ever at the Major Market Eat & Go. Everyone we encountered in our travels today was so friendly and welcoming! We had a quick stop at a jewelry shop, my granddaughter makes beautiful jewelry and appreciates other artists creations. It was the last day of the water dances in the pueblo center and it was late afternoon, so we had to pass on that and get on the road to get to our camping destination in Cottonwood, Arizona before dark.

We arrived well after dark at our campsite so we started a fire, got set up and made some tea. Our spot which I have camped at before with my daughter, has a large tipi and a stream nearby…very peaceful and beautiful. The next morning we enjoyed a walk to the stream and cooked up a tasty pancake and sausage breakfast with macha latte’s before heading out. We needed to get to our RV park reservation at Pachanga in Temecula and had a full day of travel ahead.

The drive was very scenic leaving Cottonwood, and continuing on, we left Palm Springs over the two lane twisty hwy 74 through the mountains and descended into Temecula. Again, we arrived after dark and needed to sleep. The next day we indulged in some self care at the spa, we soaked in the jacuzzi and enjoyed the steam and dry saunas, then relaxed by the pool. What a WONDERFUL special treat! That evening was my grandaughter’s dance practice and we cooked a nice dinner of grilled vegetables and steak. The next day we would get her home to Los Angeles. After arriving, we grabbed a bite to eat, took a nice walk and I camped with an amazing view at a spot at the top of the Hollywood Hills.

It was early the next morning and I had planned to get in touch with Peter…my long time friend of about 35 years, after the dog park. It was just after 7am when I started the van, my right front tire indicator light was on. Now I needed to find a dog park and a tire shop, there was a shop over Laurel Canyon that would be open by the time I got there. On the way, I got a phone call from Peter but I didn’t pick up as I was concentrating on my GPS map to get me to the tire shop before my tire went flat. I would call him back when I got there. When I checked my phone there was a voicemail…it was Peter on his way to Santa Barbara, he had pulled up next to a van with New Mexico plates and wasn’t sure if it was me!!! Of all the people and places in LA…what were the chances! I love synchronicity! Anyway, I called him asap but he was too far to turn around…missed opportunity, next time in LA I will see him! Needless to say, I now have a complete tire inflation and repair set up on board. :)

The drive back to New Mexico was amazing. I stayed off the major freeways as much as possible to get out of LA and ended up on the 10 East with no particular destination in mind. When I came to the Joshua Tree exit, I thought what a perfect place to camp! I haven’t been here since a motorcycle trip about 15 years ago. I pulled into a tire shop to see if my tire had lost air and it had. I had them put me on their schedule and luckily it was only a leaky valve stem and a quick fix. Not sure yet where I would camp, then I came across the Indian Cove Campground and it was the greatest place! It was extremely windy, but such a beautiful place!

Next day we journeyed north on Arizona hwy 60, 71 and 89 through Yarnell, Prescott and Jerome, to set up camp at my Cottonwood spot. Just amazing views along the way. Again, lots of wind so no grilling when we arrived! In the morning a river walk and a beautiful large crane sighting. From there we headed up to Sedona, which never dissapoints! Stopped at the in between Sedona and Flagstaff viewpoint park for a walk and to look at the native artist offerings. From this point I opted to take the quickest route on the interstate and headed back to Santa Fe. Such a nice trip and great memories with my granddaughter…many of the routes we took were actually perfect twisty motorcycle routes…not for the faint of heart but amazing views, all is well!