Monday morning we headed into Scottsdale to visit our good friends Jamie & Johanne. We have known them a very long time, and a few years back they purchased a condo here, an escape from the crazy winters in Ottawa.
2019 SouthWest: Hwy 60 to Scottsdale
We had a quick stop over at Roper Lake SP, to break up the drive to Scottsdale. Roper is a nice little park, with good facilities, some hiking trails, and apparently, good fishing. We hiked one of the trails after set up, and it was a great way to shake off the white line fever.
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| Mountain snow... |
2019 SouthWest: the amazing White Sands
It was a nice drive along Hwy 70 from Roswell to Alamogordo. The road winds it’s way up the east side of the Sacramento Mountains, through the Hondo Valley, then descends into Tularosa. From there it is only a short distance to Oliver Lee Memorial Park.
2019 SouthWest: Roswell and the little green men
We headed to Roswell. Why you ask, because of the UFO’s and aliens of course. Being on a tour through New Mexico and not going to Roswell would be akin to visiting Paris and not going to the Louvre. Well, perhaps that is a bit of an extreme comparison.
Dale, not fully understanding why Roswell, was a little taken aback by the UFO thing...I believe her words were “Are you for real?”
Dale, not fully understanding why Roswell, was a little taken aback by the UFO thing...I believe her words were “Are you for real?”
Insulating Wall Liners
In extreme temps, we have found that the side walls and glass can transmit a fair amount of coolness, as the R value is minimal. There are ideas out there to combat this chill, products like Reflectex, that have been used as sun shields, but we were mostly hoping to improve the warmth inside.
We ended up finding a material at the Scout Store that is intended to reflect heat or cold waves. It came in the shape of a large sleeping bag, so this meant it needed to be taken apart. It is silver on one side, and a poly type material on the other. We used the side curtains as templates and fashioned up a set of reflective panels. These are velcroed in place, silver side out, and the interior curtains are then pulled over them as normal. For the back window, we used the same material, but sandwiched an extra layer of polyester mat insulation in between. We sleep with our heads by this rear window, so it warranted a little extra insulation.
We have tested the effectiveness, and quite frankly, it feels warmer. Less cool spots, and certainly less cold radiating from the side wall. We only made the panels for the back half of the Alto, thinking the sleeping area is what needed the extra comfort.
We ended up finding a material at the Scout Store that is intended to reflect heat or cold waves. It came in the shape of a large sleeping bag, so this meant it needed to be taken apart. It is silver on one side, and a poly type material on the other. We used the side curtains as templates and fashioned up a set of reflective panels. These are velcroed in place, silver side out, and the interior curtains are then pulled over them as normal. For the back window, we used the same material, but sandwiched an extra layer of polyester mat insulation in between. We sleep with our heads by this rear window, so it warranted a little extra insulation.
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| a little extra insulation built into this one |
We have tested the effectiveness, and quite frankly, it feels warmer. Less cool spots, and certainly less cold radiating from the side wall. We only made the panels for the back half of the Alto, thinking the sleeping area is what needed the extra comfort.
2019 SouthWest: Hwy 285...not the usual scenery
I don’t really rely much on either Google or a GPS, preferring a paper map with some extra details filled in via Google. As it was a short drive, I forged ahead just based on Google’s recommended route.
We followed Hwy 17 north, through some pretty basic flat, one could say hardscrabble, landscape. In a town called Pecos, we turned onto Hwy 285.
We followed Hwy 17 north, through some pretty basic flat, one could say hardscrabble, landscape. In a town called Pecos, we turned onto Hwy 285.
2019 SouthWest: Marfa Texas
The next day was a field trip to Marfa, a little town south of Fort Davis, deep in the Chihuahuan high desert, this town is steeped in the arts and culture. One quirky art installation we just had to see was the famed Prada shoe store, way out along a highway in the middle of nowhere.
2019 SouthWest: Mesas & Buttes
On the I-10 route between San Antonio and the Park, we could see the trees becoming smaller, the cacti plants starting to appear, and the landscape becoming more arid and desert-like. Within 5 hours, it became very classic SouthWest landscape, desert with no trees, butte plateau hills, and the temperature had risen to to 27C.
2019 SouthWest: The Riverwalk and Mexican Market
Our final day of our stay in San Antonio was to head downtown in the late morning and walk the Riverwalk loop around the canal system. We were blown away as to how beautiful, organic, creative and whimsical the Riverwalk is. That a city would go to that much effort and so much cost to create such a public space that is free for all their citizens to use and to attract tourists, is commendable.
2019 SouthWest: Art & The Pearl
The San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) was originally the site of the Lone Star Brewery, dating back to 1884. In 1977, the Mayor christened the new museum by smashing a bottle of beer against the facade. We are discovering that breweries are playing a large part in present day neighbourhoods.
