Back to Winslow

As beautiful, interesting and fun as Canyon De Chelly was, it is great to get back to an area with electricity and water. The weather and the condition of the campground at the canyon was at best, a struggle to tolerate. The wind was calm most of the time. But when it blew, and most days that was at about 3:30 in the afternoon, it really blew. Red sand was everywhere.

It was impossible for me to keep it out of the rig. Cathy had an extra element with Rose. Even a careful walk on the asphalt loop around the campground picked up a ton of the stuff! When we were at our last stop, I was on hookups while Cathy opted to continue with dry camping. When you add this campground into the mix, Cathy had been dry camping for almost three weeks. She was ready for the convenience of electricity again.

We looked for a camp somewhere near Holbrook. We want to see the Petrified Forest and some of what the area has to offer. We stumbled upon a State Campground outside of Winslow. It is Homolovi Ruins State Park. There are two ancient Pueblos that have been excavated there. They have electric hook ups and water. They have a separate dump station. They also have restrooms and showers. Cool! That's the place for us.

The weather had been threatening the last days in Chinle. It rained off and on and managed to stay calm while we were in the process of hooking up and heading out. I had a small problem when I was dumping my tanks. My black tank plugged at the outlet end of the sewer hose. I tapped the hose a couple of times and that freed up the clog. Unfortunately, about a quart of the stuff sprayed out on the apron. I quickly hosed it down and cleaned it up. This lifestyle has all kinds of adventures!

The drive went smoothly until we were only 30 miles out of Winslow. The skies were dark and ominous. Finally they swelled to the point where a huge rainfall engulfed us. Visibility was only a few hundred yards at one time. The noise was defining. I had a problem with trying to figure out how to use my defogger. It's been almost two years since the last time I used it!

At home in the desert

It was a lively, but short storm. The skies remained threatening throughout the rest of the day. It stayed calm and dry until we were able to get set up. The park is great. Wide open spaces with 360 degree desert views. The freeway is over a mile away. Each site has a picnic table, and barbecue. There are small trees that do offer some shade at each site. I like this park.

A halo of sun to the west.

We looked around and were surprised to find this place is little used. There were only four other rigs when we arrived. It is a Friday before a three day weekend. We were a little worried about finding a site on the start of Memorial Day weekend. Not so!

There are some chores to do and some cleaning to do. I can't wait to explore this area.