It was time to move on from our lovely three days stay at an Airbnb in Gila, New Mexico. We took our time saying goodbye to our hostess Joanne, She talked with Francis about her impressions of the first chapter of his book and gave us more ideas for places to visit in New Mexico. Her Airbnb is definitely on our list for a return visit.

Our first stop was at the library in Gila to find out about the wifi situation. Francis was slammed with work at that moment and he had some things he needed to do. The very sweet librarian told us we could use the wifi from the parking lot even when the library was closed and also told us the closest place to get the loaf of bread we needed. We drove the short distance to the tiny town of Cliff to get a few supplies and ended up stopping at Tammy’s Cafe for lunch. It was very casual but comfortable and the service was excellent. I had the patty melt and Francis had a bacon cheeseburger. As usual, I had food left over for later.

Full and a little sleepy, we headed back to the library. It is a tiny place but with an excellent book collection. There was a different librarian than before, and she too was very welcoming. She gave us a lot of information about the town and surrounding areas. We worked until the library closed at 4 P.M. then headed out to find a home for the night.

Taking Joanne’s advice, we made our way to nearby Box Canyon to spend the night. The place was absolutely beautiful with all the bright yellow fall trees. We were the only campers so we had our pick of the many nice primitive camping spots. No running water or picnic tables but there were trash cans and a vault toilet so we were all set.

As much as we had enjoyed the luxuries at Joanne’s place, there is always something cozy and comforting about returning to our little “home” in our Jeep and being outdoors again.