Dodge City, Kansas to Cortez, Colorado

Friday, October 20, 2023

We are still in Kingman, AZ

Tuesday, October 3, 2023 (Dodge City, KS to Logan, NM)

As we headed south we began to recognize this highway as

 one we had been in and out of Kansas on in the past.
Including last spring when we headed north.

After a short time in Oklahoma and then Texas we ended up at the Arrowhead RV in Logan, NM for the night with a pull through site long enough to keep the Jeep hooked up. We had stayed here in the spring when we turned north for South Dakota. It is a Passport America Park so the price is right. Nothing really special but not awful and for one night perfect.

Wednesday, October 4, 2023 (Logan, NM to Edgewood, NM)

Stopped for diesel in Logan then we were on our way.

Merged on to I-40 just west of Tucumcari and there is a
 lot more traffic then we have seen in a while.

Tom even passed this guy and I almost missed the picture.
I think that was the 3rd pass this adventure. That may be 
more passes than all of last year...LOL

I do like how they decorate the overpasses out west.
The bottom right for breast cancer.
The truck in the middle had advice all vehicles should listen
to: Do not pass on right with an arrow. It is amazing how many
 small vehicles we see pass semis on the right.

We stopped for the night at the Walmart in Edgewood, NM.

Thursday, October 5, 2023 (Edgewood, NM to Gallup, NM)

Today's ride takes us by Albuquerque and we are beginning to think the city is our bad luck place. As we were going by a vehicle passing us threw up a rock and nicked the front windshield. Which luckily we were able to have fixed when we got to Cortez, CO. So now we have two both low on the windshield and not directly in front of Tom so that is good. 

Going by Tijeras and just before the rock hit the windshield.

Passing by Albuquerque

and out the otherside.

Tonight's stop the Walmart in Gallup, NM

As I was writing about today's ride and passing by Albuquerque I thought of something I do not think I ever put out on the blog. At least checking I could not find it. Anyway, as you may or may not know we drove back to Michigan for Thanksgiving last year leaving our Motorhome in storage in Arizona. Our first night on the road we stopped in Albuquerque and our Jeep was broken into and we lost quite a few things including our "grab bag" with all our important papers in it. As we thought about what was in the bag we knew there were things we would never be able to replace. For example we could get a new copy of our Marriage Certificate but the old one was gone etc...the things that the originals where more about the sentimental value then anything. We replaced what we could then moved on. Then in June we got a call from a woman in Albuquerque who was cleaning out an old 5th Wheel on a piece of property not far from where are things were stolen and she found our "grab bag". Not just the papers but the bag with the papers in it. I was totally surprised because the bag is a cute one. A lot of people would have gotten rid of the papers and kept the bag. A couple of our cards where inside the bag with our phone number so she called and then mailed it to us. As I write this I am thinking of the gentleman who handed Tom the $100 dollars that morning and took off and now this woman who took the time to get this back to us. I am reminded that there are good and honest people in this world. Having this first hand  knowledge is way more important then anything they took that morning from our Jeep. I am smiling with wet eyes as I write this. 

Friday, October 6, 2023 (Gallup, NM to Cortez, CO)

We turned north today on US-491 headed for the La Mesa RV Park in Cortez, CO. We will be there for seven nights and at this point are looking forward to this next week. We have several rides and destinations planned. The weather, checking ahead, is going to cooperate with our week of plans. 

The road ahead as we leave Gallup, NM in the rearview mirror.

The views along the way

were beautiful.

In the distance 

then

close up.

This sort of looked like a sitting Buddha, to me, in the distance.

The sky was a lovely blue with no wind to speak of

and the road ahead was in really good condition for the most part.

Plus the views kept coming.

We passed by several groups on horse back.

Then we said goodby to New Mexico and hello to Colorado.

Coming into Cortez.

Saturday, October 7, 2023

Yesterday we arrived and got set up in our site. This park is in a fairly good location for where we want to go and see while we are here. It will be a place to sleep, enjoy our morning coffee, and have some meals.  Honestly it is an oval parking lot with some trees but we do have full hookups. There are no amenities and you need to be fully self-contained because as of now the bathrooms are not open. We did know all this before we got here but we knew it would serve our purposes and for this stop it was a good choice.

So we started our Saturday morning with coffee while getting ready to go the Tourist Information Center to pickup a map and brochures about what we wanted to see and do while we are here. Then the plan was to go on a short ride. We headed out to the Jeep and it would not start the battery was not complete dead but did not have enough power to start the Jeep. The night before when I shut it down after moving it to our site the battery was fully charged. Back inside Tom gets in touch with our insurance company and they send out roadside assistance. He was able to get it going and tells Tom from what he can see our battery is fine but we are losing power for some unknown reason. 

It is the weekend and there is nothing we can do until Monday morning. Tom was able to start the Jeep and take it for rides but it is losing power. We did take it over to the Tourist Information Center, where still optimistic we would be able to take several rides, I picked up some information. We settled into the weekend not happy about our circumstances but at this point we believed on Monday we would have some answers.

First thing Monday morning Tom is at the Local Jeep Dealership when they open. Explains are problem adding that we are traveling and presently staying in a RV Park. They bring him home saying they will look at the Jeep. A couple hours later they call to confirm that the battery is fine but is losing its charge for some unknown reason.  Tom asks when they will be hooking it up to find out why and is eventually told November 18th. He said okay you might as well come and get me. The gentleman who picked him up was the one who looked at the battery and he told Tom his guess was the problem was the alternator or a loose wire. Tom asked is it driveable, he thought it should be, is it towable, he thought it should be. Is there anyway to get it on the computer to find out? The answer not before November 18th and then if we need a part we probably will not have it in stock for your Jeep, understandable we do have that unusual Wrangler type and that may be me being sarcastic, and it will take two weeks at least to get it. We now accept this dealership will not be of any help.

To say we were not impressed with this place would be an understatement. This is our 10th year living this lifestyle and this was the first time that we have encountered a garage that would not help us at all.

So we ended up renting a car and taking the San Juan Skyway Drive, lots of pictures to come. Plus we did visit the Mesa Verde National Park, more pictures to come. 

Not what we planned but not a total loss. 

FYI: We are in Kingman, AZ and our Jeep has been seen and everything is good. 

We are glad you stopped by!

If you have time to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from you.

Dodge City, Kansas (The blog is making its way closer to real time.)

 Sunday, October 15, 2023

We have landed in Kingman, AZ and will be here for a total of nine nights. During this time we hope to visit with some friends who live here. Plus, we hope to leave with our Jeep issues taken care of. More on this in the next couple of blogs. I want to have the conclusion, as far as how things were solved, before I write about it.

Coming into Kingman going west on I-40

September 30th through the morning of October 3rd, 2023

We arrived in Dodge City and pulled into the Gunsmoke RV Park on Saturday, September 30th. Our first stop was the Napa Auto Parts Store to have the Jeep's battery replaced. Tom had called the Jeep Dealership and this was their recommendation as there service department would be closed before our arrival. Our battery was complete dead and after doing some research Tom found information that leaving the electrical cord attached while the Jeep is attached to the motorhome could be the cause. We had never had this issue with our Trailhawk but going forward Tom has been unhooking it when we stop for the night while traveling and that seemed to be helping. More on this when the blog reaches Colorado.

We attended Mass on Sunday at the
Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

It is the seat of the Diocese of Dodge City.

Tabernacle
A liturgical furnishing used to house
the Eucharist outside of Mass.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel

Sacred Heart Cathedral 
The former Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Dodge City.

Boot Hill Museum

Boot Hill Museum as it stands today is located on the original site of Boot Hill Cemetery. It was first housed in a building adjacent to the Boot Hill Cemetery. It is a private, non-profit organization that was founded by the Dodge City Jaycees as a community service project in 1947 and staffed primarily with volunteers for the first ten years.  

This train engine which is outside in front of the Museum
was moved here in the 1950's.

Walking through the museum was interesting.
Including the display with information about the
Buffalo Herds. Which included the floor moving as 
the screen showed them stampeding towards us.

Clicking on the picture should open it in a larger screen to
read these interesting rules.

Stepping outside there is a replica of Historic Front Street
in Dodge City behind the Museum Building.

The construction of historic Front Street began in 1958 , with additional buildings being added in 1964 and 1970.

All those years of watching Gunsmoke with our
Dad's made this selfie a must.

Going inside.
The upper left picture we were told was from the original Longbranch.

The woman behind the bar who served the drinks was a former
history teacher. She was not only informative but fun to listen to.

Buildings moved to the site during the 1970’s included a Santa Fe Railway depot, a 1915 one-room schoolhouse, an 1880 carriage/blacksmith shop, and an 1879 cattleman’s home.  

The cattleman's home and the blacksmith shop just past it.

Inside the home.

The blacksmith shop

In 2004 an old Catholic Church was donated and moved to the Museum from Bucklin. In 2009 renovations to the Church were completed making it Boot Hill Museum’s newest exhibit.

A bronze sculpture by Jasper D’Ambrosi commemorates the 1875-1885 Texas cattle drives to Dodge City. El Capitan represents longhorns who emerged as leaders and led many drives up the dusty trail from Texas. Coronado’s Conquistadors introduced the longhorn, first cousin to the Spanish fighting bull, to the New World during the 1500s.

There was construction in this area but the woman we 
talked to at the Longbranch Saloon mentioned the original
Longbranch Saloon was somewhere in this area.

Chester Good was shot dead in a gunfight and
 his remains are sticking out of the ground at the
entrance to Gunsmoke RV park.

We enjoyed our time in Dodge City and especially visiting the Boot Hill Museum. Several attractions were closed while we were there including parts of the museum. It definitely would be worth another stop. 

We are glad you stopped by!

If you have time to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from you.