Rodeo and points west

We just returned from a 10-day RV trip to Rancho Cucamonga, California. It's a pretty city, with bougainvillea showing their scarlet blossoms. The name is curious, though; I'll have to look up its origin. I must say, southern California freeway traffic deserves its reputation as being not for the fainthearted. At the beginning of our jaunt, we had stayed in desolate Rodeo, New Mexico. No phone, no wi-fi, a gas station that's open only a few days a week, a couple of decent diners, and Rusty's RV Park, where you can look out at the Milky Way at night in complete silence if you like. It's truly a place to be alone.

Mountains outside Rodeo, New Mexico

Nearby is the tiny town of Portal, Arizona, where we and some RV friends stopped because we'd taken a wrong turn. Portal appears to be smaller than Rodeo, but it isn't too small to have an Octoberfest in front of its post office, where a few dozen people were selling crafts, milling about, shopping, occasionally dancing, and generally having a good time. There was a table selling local authors' books, and I purchased The House of the Scorpion, a National Book Award winner by Nancy Farmer. The book has 384 reviews averaging over 4 stars on Amazon. I'm impressed!

Rose, Rancho Cucamonga