DEMING, NM, TEMPE, AZ, AND VALENCIA, CA

For what seemed like forever we finally caught up with some very nice weather in Deming, NM.  We spent 3 days exploring the area.  We took a drive up to the Gila Cliff Dwellings that were incredible.  The drive there from Deming is 100 miles, 30 of which is a slow drive through the mountains that were full of twists and turns.  We couldn't believe the amount of snow that was on the ground.  The elevation in the area is about 7,000 feet and some areas are shaded.  If nothing else the snow looked pretty from a distance.  When we reached the ranger station we hiked up to the cliff dwellings for a guided tour of the dwellings.  It made for an interesting hike on some slippery portions of the trail that had frozen snow and though they sprinkled some dirt on the trail there were areas that were slippery.

The Dwellings were built around 1276 by the Mogollon Indians.  I would encourage anyone who travels in the area to take the time to visit the dwellings.  Pictures do not do justice.

Our next stop was Tempe, Arizona.  We really enjoyed the area as it is a modern well planned city with lots of parks.  It has several universities and is bike friendly.  With Light Rail available in many areas transportation is convenient.  We stayed at an Elks Lodge that was centrally located and very convenient to the interstate, shopping, and parks.

We continued west to California and spent one night in Indio, CA.  This is an area that is very popular for RV'ers and is near Palm Springs.  It is beautiful, but very expensive.  Sunday morning (Jan. 23) we drove up to Valencia, CA which was our destination for this portion of our travel.  This will be home for the next couple of months as we want to spend time with Andrea's son Adam, his wife Alma and the two little ones Amanda and Aldan.  Valencia is located about 30 miles north east of LA and is considered high desert.  The day time temperatures have been in the low 70's and the nights in the upper 40's to low 50's.  Just perfect.

Monday we took a drive to Ventura Beach which was about a 35 minute drive through the mountains was beautiful.  The mountains here are so different then those found on the east coast of the country.  The drive was well worth it.  The Pacific Ocean is incredible to see.  We found a nice dog friendly park with a marina that was right on the ocean.  Angel just loved it.

Well, that is it for now.  Thank you for following us as we travel.

Miles of smiles,
Charlie, Andrea and Angel.